Lisaj13
09-02-2011, 02:02 PM
Day 4 (August 19) – Universal
We got the 8:30 bus from Mears. I realized that we’d be stopping at other resorts but I didn’t realize that it would take us an hour to get to Universal. Oh well, live and learn. After going to the Grand Floridian, Shades of Green and Sea World we were dropped off at City Walk. At 9:30 the line for Forbidden Journey already said 90 minute wait, but we got in line anyway, after dropping our stuff at the lockers. I was pleased that they had lots of fans and misters in the queue area, and the line moved pretty well. It took just over an hour and we were on. We really enjoyed the ride, but I found the interior of the castle leading up to it a little too dark for me to see well. After being dropped off at the gift shop I had to go to the lockers to get my wallet, and then swim back upstream to the gift shop. I think the locker system could use some streamlining.
We headed for Dragon Challenge, but it was down, with an unknown start-up time, so we had an early lunch at the Three Broomsticks. I thought the food was good and of course we had to get butter beer. Having heard that it was quite sweet we compromised and got one frozen and one regular for the three of us – in souvenir mugs. We went outside to eat, which was a great choice. The inside was noisy and crowded but outside was quiet with lots of empty tables. Our timing was just right, because when we came outside Dragon Challenge had just opened up. Over to the lockers again, then onto the ride. It was good, but it could have been longer. Then once again swimming against the tide to empty our locker. Seriously, there has to be a better way.
Next we went on the Jurassic River ride. After all the warnings about getting wet we just got splashed in the face a little, so we didn’t have to squelch around for the rest of the day. I was a little disappointed in the dinosaurs, but still enjoyed the ride.
My youngest thought we should head back to get wands so back to Hogsmeade we went. Seeing that the line at Ollivander’s was long, I asked a Cast Member (what does Universal call them?) where else we could get wands and he directed us to a back door for Dervish and Banges. Where there was a line-up to get into the store. However, there were only four people in front of us so it wasn’t too bad. Although, some part of me rebels at the idea of having to line up to get into a store. I quickly picked a wand for a friend (another one checked off) and then found a corner to stand in while my kids agonized over which wand to get. Eventually, they picked their wands and a pin each and I lined up to pay. The till in the back seemed to be unnoticed by most people so we lucked out there. I asked the cashier if it was always like this, and he said that it was actually quiet today, that if you could move your elbows you were good. Obviously no claustrophobics work here!
We worked our way back towards the front of the park. One thing I noticed that is different from Disney is the lack of cooling areas. WDW has lots of fans and misting areas, but Universal was lacking in that regard. Anyway, I left my kids on a bench and went to the Toon Lagoon area to look for a gift for my dad. He’s a fan of Hagar the Horrible so I was happy to see that there was a t-shirt with Hagar on it. Back to the kids and we made our way to the exit. We still had lots of time before our return transport came so we took time out for ice cream, refilled our water bottles and just generally relaxed. We slowly shopped our way up City Walk to the bus area and a van came for us at 3:30. Back in our room by 4:00, supper and Gunsmoke at 5:00. We’d been thinking of going to Fantasmic, but it started raining so we played it by ear. The rain slowed by 8:00 so we took a chance and headed for the Studios. We got there at 8:30 and walked right into the amphitheatre which was about half full. The rain stopped ten minutes before the show. Again, I can’t believe how lucky we’ve been with timing. This was the show my kids most wanted to see so I was glad we were able to do it. We exited with the rest of the crowd at 9:30 and decided to check out a few shops while some of the crowd cleared. We headed for the bus stop at 10:00 and our bus was there. When we got to the Poly and I stepped off the bus my glasses immediately fogged up and didn’t clear until we entered the hotel.
We walked about 9.5 miles today.
We got the 8:30 bus from Mears. I realized that we’d be stopping at other resorts but I didn’t realize that it would take us an hour to get to Universal. Oh well, live and learn. After going to the Grand Floridian, Shades of Green and Sea World we were dropped off at City Walk. At 9:30 the line for Forbidden Journey already said 90 minute wait, but we got in line anyway, after dropping our stuff at the lockers. I was pleased that they had lots of fans and misters in the queue area, and the line moved pretty well. It took just over an hour and we were on. We really enjoyed the ride, but I found the interior of the castle leading up to it a little too dark for me to see well. After being dropped off at the gift shop I had to go to the lockers to get my wallet, and then swim back upstream to the gift shop. I think the locker system could use some streamlining.
We headed for Dragon Challenge, but it was down, with an unknown start-up time, so we had an early lunch at the Three Broomsticks. I thought the food was good and of course we had to get butter beer. Having heard that it was quite sweet we compromised and got one frozen and one regular for the three of us – in souvenir mugs. We went outside to eat, which was a great choice. The inside was noisy and crowded but outside was quiet with lots of empty tables. Our timing was just right, because when we came outside Dragon Challenge had just opened up. Over to the lockers again, then onto the ride. It was good, but it could have been longer. Then once again swimming against the tide to empty our locker. Seriously, there has to be a better way.
Next we went on the Jurassic River ride. After all the warnings about getting wet we just got splashed in the face a little, so we didn’t have to squelch around for the rest of the day. I was a little disappointed in the dinosaurs, but still enjoyed the ride.
My youngest thought we should head back to get wands so back to Hogsmeade we went. Seeing that the line at Ollivander’s was long, I asked a Cast Member (what does Universal call them?) where else we could get wands and he directed us to a back door for Dervish and Banges. Where there was a line-up to get into the store. However, there were only four people in front of us so it wasn’t too bad. Although, some part of me rebels at the idea of having to line up to get into a store. I quickly picked a wand for a friend (another one checked off) and then found a corner to stand in while my kids agonized over which wand to get. Eventually, they picked their wands and a pin each and I lined up to pay. The till in the back seemed to be unnoticed by most people so we lucked out there. I asked the cashier if it was always like this, and he said that it was actually quiet today, that if you could move your elbows you were good. Obviously no claustrophobics work here!
We worked our way back towards the front of the park. One thing I noticed that is different from Disney is the lack of cooling areas. WDW has lots of fans and misting areas, but Universal was lacking in that regard. Anyway, I left my kids on a bench and went to the Toon Lagoon area to look for a gift for my dad. He’s a fan of Hagar the Horrible so I was happy to see that there was a t-shirt with Hagar on it. Back to the kids and we made our way to the exit. We still had lots of time before our return transport came so we took time out for ice cream, refilled our water bottles and just generally relaxed. We slowly shopped our way up City Walk to the bus area and a van came for us at 3:30. Back in our room by 4:00, supper and Gunsmoke at 5:00. We’d been thinking of going to Fantasmic, but it started raining so we played it by ear. The rain slowed by 8:00 so we took a chance and headed for the Studios. We got there at 8:30 and walked right into the amphitheatre which was about half full. The rain stopped ten minutes before the show. Again, I can’t believe how lucky we’ve been with timing. This was the show my kids most wanted to see so I was glad we were able to do it. We exited with the rest of the crowd at 9:30 and decided to check out a few shops while some of the crowd cleared. We headed for the bus stop at 10:00 and our bus was there. When we got to the Poly and I stepped off the bus my glasses immediately fogged up and didn’t clear until we entered the hotel.
We walked about 9.5 miles today.