hhawkins
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2009
Friday (January 1, 2021) - Last Park Day
Our week in Florida has almost come to an end. Today will be our very last day in the parks, and honestly would turn out to be our very best day in my opinion. We did another super early start, because we certainly did not want to get locked out. We hoped that many would have had a late night waiting up for New Year, and I think we were right. This would actually be our earliest arrival. We were inside Universal Studio by 6:40, and they did not stop us at the turnstiles, they were letting people in. Of course only resort guests get past a certain point.
We decided to head to the right and were stopped just before the lake area. Our plan for the morning was just to ride what we wanted and maybe hit a couple shows. I will say, I regret that we never made it to any of the shows. As soon as the rope dropped, we were headed straight to The Mummy because my daughter and I did not get to ride it on Monday. We had no problems with the line line, which never really stopped moving. I thought this was a pretty fun roller coaster. I especially loved that it was an actual roller coaster and not screen based.
Since it was close and there was not a huge line, we thought Transformers would be a good next stop, but on the way my middle son discovered that his phone was missing. My wife, oldest son and daughter went on to Transformers, while Clay and I went back to The Mummy. We hoped that it may have been found, but that was not the case. We went on to the lost-found at the front of the park and filled out a claim. Alas, it was not ever found. We have no idea where it ended up.
With a slight damper on the mood, we went on to meet up with the rest of the family. They were getting in line for The Simpsons. This was not for me, as it made me sick the first time I rode. So my son joined them, and my oldest decided to wait with me in Springfield. He and I got in line for a Lard Lad Donut. We had seen them on Monday and added it to our list. The line took forever, and the guy at the window was very rude. He kept coming out of the building to yell at people for not staying far enough away from the window. I did not see that people were breaking the rules, but he must have. We finally ordered two of the Big Pinks and a couple chocolate milks. We found a shaded seat by the Comic Book Store (actually a bathroom) and we split one of them. The rest of the family joined us and devoured the other donut. We loved it. However, we would discover later in the evening that they are also sold at the Kwicky Mart, which would have saved a lot of time in line that morning.
My wife is a sucker for carnival games -- I HATE THEM. But she just had to stop in Springfield to play. Actually my youngest son, who is 12, played the hammer game where you try to test your strength. He pounded it. Got all the way to 90 and won the HUGE Homer. My oldest son tried, but was not as successful. He claimed the operator turned up the tension. I don’t know, but it was funny. What I did not find funny was this huge Homer doll we are now stuck carrying around. This thing was over waist high on me, and would not fit in ANY locker, not even the pay lockers. Just FYI, this means that you have to carry it though the lines and leave it at the rides with the attendant. They must do this all the time, but it annoyed me because I was stuck with it for much of the day.
The park is still not as crowded as it had been earlier in the week. I do not know if it ever reached capacity that day, but it never felt AS crowded. Don’t get me wrong, it was crazy, just not as bad at it was the previous Monday.
Now at the back of the park we got in line for Men In Black, which again was just a walk on. Another fun family ride, and one that I would happily ride anytime. I didn't even shoot, I just rode and took in the ride.
We decided it was now time to do the only ride in the park we had not done yet, that was a must ride for us, The Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure. We did stick our head into Diagon Alley one more time, but then it was off to King’s Cross Station for a 45-minute line. This was fun, especially the crossover though the secret passage way at Platform 9 ¾. We thought the train ride was amazing, and so relaxing and cool. I only with it would have lasted a little longer. Just as we were departing, I managed to snag another virtual queue for Hagrid's Magical Coaster for 1:30.
By this time, it is about time for lunch. My wife had spotted the Wimpy Burger on Monday and thought it sounded like fun. So that is where we headed. Not much choice here, but the burger and fries were tasty. It was a big burger. One note, my daughter decided to try the “meatless” burger. It was not yummy. As a matter of fact, it was gross. We ended up just splitting my burger, and we were still full.
The family headed to the Bilge-Rat Barges, but I wanted to stay dry so I stayed at the table with Homer. I did get to catch them on the ride from my seat beside the bridge. I was not quick enough to snap a picture though.
We started heading back to Hogsmeade for our ride on Hagrid’s, and discovered that Forbidden Journey was only a 30-minute wait, so we got in line and then rode the Flight of the Hippogriff when we got off, with almost no line. Riding it in the day was different, less scary than at night. We then headed over to Hagrid's, but discovered the line was every bit as long as it was the first time we rode, maybe even a little longer. We got in line, but decided we just did not want to invest the 90-180 minutes it would take. So, I know this will be unpopular, but we got out of the line and gave up our spot. We would have liked to ride in the daylight, but I do not regret our decision. This was not a day of long lines, and the kiddos were so much happier.
At this point we decided to split up. The boys had talked their mom into riding The Hulk, off they went. Ella and I headed back to Seuss Landing. We had so much fun together, just the two of us. I love daddy-daughter time. It is so special, and she is growing so fast. We did all the rides together starting on the Sky Seuss Trolley, the Caro-Seuss-el, The Cat & The Hat, which we had so much fun chatting to each other though. Then we ended up with her trying to soak me on One Fish, Two Fish.
The family caught up to us and relaxed at a table nearby and just vegged and people watched for about 45 minutes. The kids took turns filling up the FREE refills of Icee until they all had one. It was good to just relax. By this time it’s probably about 5’ish and we decided to have dinner. My oldest really wanted to go to the Three Broomsticks, and with no objections we got in the short line. We decided to order the family feast which included a salad, roasted chicken, ribs, corn, and potatoes -- I think. It was all so yummy. It came to feed a family of four, but since there were five of us, we added one more on. Honestly we did not need to, there was way more food that we could ever eat. The kids also ordered the Hot Butterbeer. They thought it was better than the cold, I liked them both. The one thing that bothers me is that they did not offer any drinks. No soda to be found in the land, and the waitress never even offered us water or anything. This was a bit annoying. Fat and bloated as ticks, we headed to Hogsmeade Station to board the Hogwarts Express back to Universal Studios. The ride back was just as fun. We loved how the show was different both ways.
Now back in Universal Studios one last time we decided to ride Men In Black again. We really loved this crazy ride. Honestly I think it is because it actually goes somewhere. There was NO line at all, and they were only running one side. They had cars on the other track topped at various places along the way in the places the audio tells you to shoot at the other vehicle. It was sorta strange for it to be that empty. But it was also fun to have it all to ourselves.
After leaving Men in Black we refilled our cup one last time in the Coke building and added our names for a possible printing on a bottle. That was fun and we have never actually found a bottle with any of our names before.
Next we wandered toward Springfield and spent a little while playing more games. By the time we finished, all the kids had won some kind of prize. There was no waiting on the Alien Spinning/Dumbo type ride, I am really not sure of its actual name. This was also when we found the Big Pink donuts at the Krusty Mart. They had both Pink and Chocolate. We bought both and we all agreed, pink was the best.
Glancing at my watch, I realized that it was after 9:00 pm. I had only one real priority -- ride ET again. We strolled over in the dark, and I mean DARK. I wonder why that part of the park is not lit better. There was not much of a line. We only stopped because they let a few Express Pass families in front of us. I really wish we could have slowed down in the line. It is so peaceful in the forest, with the insect sounds and clicks that place you right in the middle of the movie. This time I rode on the front row right behind ET. I didn't even notice him the first time. My favorite part of the ride is where you fly up over the city in the “Peter Pan” type scene. I wish you spent more time there. I still find the area where you are on ET’s planet a bit odd. The different creatures just do not seem to all fit together. I still love it. This ride and MIB will be the two rides I would miss if I never made it back to Universal.
I was disappointed with one thing. I had found a hoodie in the gift shop on Monday that I really liked, but it was $60 and I was just not ready to pay that much. However, by this point I really had not spent much on extras and had decided I would buy it. Alas, they were completely out of my size. Lesson learned, if you see it and want it, buy it -- don’t wait. I can't find it online either.
We thought there was one more kiddie coaster back behind ET. So even in the dark we wound our way back until we found Woody Woodpeckers Nuthouse Coaster. I would say, this is a tight fit, but a fun and very short coaster. This would end up being our very last ride of the trip. Maybe we should have hopped in line for ET at the last minute, but we decided to shop around in the SpongeBob store, then head out.
As we walked out of the park, we got a few pictures of the globe. Then we wound our way though City Walk and to the parking garage. Actually, the Woody Coaster wasn’t our last ride. Each night when leaving we ride the moving walkway back to the car. As silly as they are, my family thinks they are fun. I guess we are pretty easy to please.
Our park days are finished, so you will have to check back soon for one last instalment with my final thoughts and our trip home. . .
Our week in Florida has almost come to an end. Today will be our very last day in the parks, and honestly would turn out to be our very best day in my opinion. We did another super early start, because we certainly did not want to get locked out. We hoped that many would have had a late night waiting up for New Year, and I think we were right. This would actually be our earliest arrival. We were inside Universal Studio by 6:40, and they did not stop us at the turnstiles, they were letting people in. Of course only resort guests get past a certain point.
We decided to head to the right and were stopped just before the lake area. Our plan for the morning was just to ride what we wanted and maybe hit a couple shows. I will say, I regret that we never made it to any of the shows. As soon as the rope dropped, we were headed straight to The Mummy because my daughter and I did not get to ride it on Monday. We had no problems with the line line, which never really stopped moving. I thought this was a pretty fun roller coaster. I especially loved that it was an actual roller coaster and not screen based.
Since it was close and there was not a huge line, we thought Transformers would be a good next stop, but on the way my middle son discovered that his phone was missing. My wife, oldest son and daughter went on to Transformers, while Clay and I went back to The Mummy. We hoped that it may have been found, but that was not the case. We went on to the lost-found at the front of the park and filled out a claim. Alas, it was not ever found. We have no idea where it ended up.
With a slight damper on the mood, we went on to meet up with the rest of the family. They were getting in line for The Simpsons. This was not for me, as it made me sick the first time I rode. So my son joined them, and my oldest decided to wait with me in Springfield. He and I got in line for a Lard Lad Donut. We had seen them on Monday and added it to our list. The line took forever, and the guy at the window was very rude. He kept coming out of the building to yell at people for not staying far enough away from the window. I did not see that people were breaking the rules, but he must have. We finally ordered two of the Big Pinks and a couple chocolate milks. We found a shaded seat by the Comic Book Store (actually a bathroom) and we split one of them. The rest of the family joined us and devoured the other donut. We loved it. However, we would discover later in the evening that they are also sold at the Kwicky Mart, which would have saved a lot of time in line that morning. My wife is a sucker for carnival games -- I HATE THEM. But she just had to stop in Springfield to play. Actually my youngest son, who is 12, played the hammer game where you try to test your strength. He pounded it. Got all the way to 90 and won the HUGE Homer. My oldest son tried, but was not as successful. He claimed the operator turned up the tension. I don’t know, but it was funny. What I did not find funny was this huge Homer doll we are now stuck carrying around. This thing was over waist high on me, and would not fit in ANY locker, not even the pay lockers. Just FYI, this means that you have to carry it though the lines and leave it at the rides with the attendant. They must do this all the time, but it annoyed me because I was stuck with it for much of the day.
The park is still not as crowded as it had been earlier in the week. I do not know if it ever reached capacity that day, but it never felt AS crowded. Don’t get me wrong, it was crazy, just not as bad at it was the previous Monday.
Now at the back of the park we got in line for Men In Black, which again was just a walk on. Another fun family ride, and one that I would happily ride anytime. I didn't even shoot, I just rode and took in the ride.
We decided it was now time to do the only ride in the park we had not done yet, that was a must ride for us, The Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure. We did stick our head into Diagon Alley one more time, but then it was off to King’s Cross Station for a 45-minute line. This was fun, especially the crossover though the secret passage way at Platform 9 ¾. We thought the train ride was amazing, and so relaxing and cool. I only with it would have lasted a little longer. Just as we were departing, I managed to snag another virtual queue for Hagrid's Magical Coaster for 1:30.
By this time, it is about time for lunch. My wife had spotted the Wimpy Burger on Monday and thought it sounded like fun. So that is where we headed. Not much choice here, but the burger and fries were tasty. It was a big burger. One note, my daughter decided to try the “meatless” burger. It was not yummy. As a matter of fact, it was gross. We ended up just splitting my burger, and we were still full.
The family headed to the Bilge-Rat Barges, but I wanted to stay dry so I stayed at the table with Homer. I did get to catch them on the ride from my seat beside the bridge. I was not quick enough to snap a picture though.
We started heading back to Hogsmeade for our ride on Hagrid’s, and discovered that Forbidden Journey was only a 30-minute wait, so we got in line and then rode the Flight of the Hippogriff when we got off, with almost no line. Riding it in the day was different, less scary than at night. We then headed over to Hagrid's, but discovered the line was every bit as long as it was the first time we rode, maybe even a little longer. We got in line, but decided we just did not want to invest the 90-180 minutes it would take. So, I know this will be unpopular, but we got out of the line and gave up our spot. We would have liked to ride in the daylight, but I do not regret our decision. This was not a day of long lines, and the kiddos were so much happier.
At this point we decided to split up. The boys had talked their mom into riding The Hulk, off they went. Ella and I headed back to Seuss Landing. We had so much fun together, just the two of us. I love daddy-daughter time. It is so special, and she is growing so fast. We did all the rides together starting on the Sky Seuss Trolley, the Caro-Seuss-el, The Cat & The Hat, which we had so much fun chatting to each other though. Then we ended up with her trying to soak me on One Fish, Two Fish.
The family caught up to us and relaxed at a table nearby and just vegged and people watched for about 45 minutes. The kids took turns filling up the FREE refills of Icee until they all had one. It was good to just relax. By this time it’s probably about 5’ish and we decided to have dinner. My oldest really wanted to go to the Three Broomsticks, and with no objections we got in the short line. We decided to order the family feast which included a salad, roasted chicken, ribs, corn, and potatoes -- I think. It was all so yummy. It came to feed a family of four, but since there were five of us, we added one more on. Honestly we did not need to, there was way more food that we could ever eat. The kids also ordered the Hot Butterbeer. They thought it was better than the cold, I liked them both. The one thing that bothers me is that they did not offer any drinks. No soda to be found in the land, and the waitress never even offered us water or anything. This was a bit annoying. Fat and bloated as ticks, we headed to Hogsmeade Station to board the Hogwarts Express back to Universal Studios. The ride back was just as fun. We loved how the show was different both ways.
Now back in Universal Studios one last time we decided to ride Men In Black again. We really loved this crazy ride. Honestly I think it is because it actually goes somewhere. There was NO line at all, and they were only running one side. They had cars on the other track topped at various places along the way in the places the audio tells you to shoot at the other vehicle. It was sorta strange for it to be that empty. But it was also fun to have it all to ourselves.
After leaving Men in Black we refilled our cup one last time in the Coke building and added our names for a possible printing on a bottle. That was fun and we have never actually found a bottle with any of our names before.
Next we wandered toward Springfield and spent a little while playing more games. By the time we finished, all the kids had won some kind of prize. There was no waiting on the Alien Spinning/Dumbo type ride, I am really not sure of its actual name. This was also when we found the Big Pink donuts at the Krusty Mart. They had both Pink and Chocolate. We bought both and we all agreed, pink was the best. Glancing at my watch, I realized that it was after 9:00 pm. I had only one real priority -- ride ET again. We strolled over in the dark, and I mean DARK. I wonder why that part of the park is not lit better. There was not much of a line. We only stopped because they let a few Express Pass families in front of us. I really wish we could have slowed down in the line. It is so peaceful in the forest, with the insect sounds and clicks that place you right in the middle of the movie. This time I rode on the front row right behind ET. I didn't even notice him the first time. My favorite part of the ride is where you fly up over the city in the “Peter Pan” type scene. I wish you spent more time there. I still find the area where you are on ET’s planet a bit odd. The different creatures just do not seem to all fit together. I still love it. This ride and MIB will be the two rides I would miss if I never made it back to Universal.
I was disappointed with one thing. I had found a hoodie in the gift shop on Monday that I really liked, but it was $60 and I was just not ready to pay that much. However, by this point I really had not spent much on extras and had decided I would buy it. Alas, they were completely out of my size. Lesson learned, if you see it and want it, buy it -- don’t wait. I can't find it online either.
We thought there was one more kiddie coaster back behind ET. So even in the dark we wound our way back until we found Woody Woodpeckers Nuthouse Coaster. I would say, this is a tight fit, but a fun and very short coaster. This would end up being our very last ride of the trip. Maybe we should have hopped in line for ET at the last minute, but we decided to shop around in the SpongeBob store, then head out. As we walked out of the park, we got a few pictures of the globe. Then we wound our way though City Walk and to the parking garage. Actually, the Woody Coaster wasn’t our last ride. Each night when leaving we ride the moving walkway back to the car. As silly as they are, my family thinks they are fun. I guess we are pretty easy to please.
Our park days are finished, so you will have to check back soon for one last instalment with my final thoughts and our trip home. . .
