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MizMissy
05-25-2013, 03:51 PM
We hit a lot of traffic yesterday so only made it as far as Ocala. Without rushing, we arrived at Royal Pacific before 9. So far, the hotel is beautiful. I love the lush landscaping. We waited for our friends. Check in and getting express passes went smoothly and quickly.

My kids and DH voted Mummy as our first ride. So did the rest of the group. We walked into US at 9:20 am. Crowds were fairly light. We hit a lot of rides and lots of repeats. Ate lunch at the pizza place next to Mummy. Not bad and really not expensive.

Back to hotel. Sitting by the pool now. Kids are having fun. I'm relaxing. Perfect start to vacation.

We hope to make it back to US tonight for the show. Not sure where to watch. They have construction on both sides of the lagoon.
buzznwoodysmom
05-25-2013, 11:28 PM
You arrived at hotel at 9 and were in the park by 9:20 after checking in and getting express pass???? Wow! What a huge difference from our experience at hard rock in February! Glad things went so smoothly for you. I hope this is a sign that some of the kinks have been worked out.

Sounds like a great start! Can't wait to read about the rest!
NJGIRL
05-26-2013, 11:06 AM
What did you think of the Mummy. That is the best themed roller coaster I have ever been on.
MizMissy
05-28-2013, 01:12 PM
Still here. Oh, my aching feet. Lol.
A really great trip. Wow, crowds are incredible. Our last Universal trip two years ago, it never felt crowded at Studios and only super crowded at Potter. Now, crowds are everywhere. Even with express pass, we've had 10-20 min waits (yeah, I know we are spoiled complaining about anything other than walk-on rides).
La Nouba tonight.

Off for last rides of the trip!!
buzznwoodysmom
05-28-2013, 03:14 PM
Sounds like a fun trip! I would love to be there right now. I am on my back patio, watching my kids swim, drinking out of one of my Disney mugs, wishing I were there right now! Oh how great the hard rock pool would be about now!!! Maybe I should crank up some music to make it feel more like HRH. Lol. Enjoy your little piece of Disney tonight.
DizneyFreak2002
05-28-2013, 10:59 PM
If you are around tomorrow (May 29th), Transformers may be having soft opens... :)
MizMissy
05-29-2013, 09:52 AM
If you are around tomorrow (May 29th), Transformers may be having soft opens... :)

Sadly, we are checking out today. We kept checking for soft openings. They looked ready to go. As I checked out this morning, the desk clerk said they had a soft opening for employees only last night from 7-10. He said he rode it 10 times and it was incredible. Very fast and intense, just like being on set if Transformers 3. My kids were so jealous they missed it.
DizneyFreak2002
05-29-2013, 01:51 PM
Sadly, we are checking out today. We kept checking for soft openings. They looked ready to go. As I checked out this morning, the desk clerk said they had a soft opening for employees only last night from 7-10. He said he rode it 10 times and it was incredible. Very fast and intense, just like being on set if Transformers 3. My kids were so jealous they missed it.

The reviews have been great so far... I can't wait to check this out in October!!!

As for softs, you may not have missed them anyway... Nothing yet, and may not happen until the Optimus Prime statue is installed... The statue is on sight, inside the park, near the attraction, laying on its back... This thing is MASSIVE...
MizMissy
05-29-2013, 02:10 PM
The reviews have been great so far... I can't wait to check this out in October!!!

As for softs, you may not have missed them anyway... Nothing yet, and may not happen until the Optimus Prime statue is installed... The statue is on sight, inside the park, near the attraction, laying on its back... This thing is MASSIVE...

On Sunday, you could still use the alley between Mummy and Transformers (by Blues Brothers and Finnegans) but Monday, there were green temporary walls blocking the path. I asked an attendant standing next to the entrance about it, said I heard Optimus was on site and he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders. My husband also spoke with a guy wearing an Oceanerring work shirt on (in line at Starbucks) and he was saying they have a rides division that built the ride and they were just running the ride over and over right now. They also had installed all the metal gates for queue lines - that queue takes up most of the area next to Monsters Cafe and looks to be a very very hot and sunny queue on the outside.