faline
11-29-2014, 03:19 PM
Monday, November 3, 2014
Today is the last full day of our trip. It is still pretty chilly this morning but does get into the low 70's late in the afternoon. Even that feels a bit chilly in the shade given the humidity is so low.
After another breakfast from the lobby selections, we walk over to Universal Studios and arrive around 9:15 or so. Again, there are some things that I do solo as Gene does not want to risk a repeat of his motion sickness. Not in the order in which we do them, we do Transformers: The Ride-3D (I do this one solo. To me, it appears to be the same vehicle, track and ride as Spiderman - the only real difference being different effects.); Revenge of the Mummy (This we can do together as it is a roller coaster. The ride is quite smooth - in my opinion, smoother than Rock n Roller Coaster); Beetlejuice's Graveyard Review (This has not improved over time and we leave before the show is complete); Disaster (The old Earthquake ride updated but not a significantly different ride); Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott's (I do this one solo again. The single rider line is longer than when I did it before but it doesn't seem to take any longer to get through it.); Men In Black (I always liked this ride - wish I scored better. As before, Gene handily outscores me.); and the Horror Make Up Show (pretty much unchanged).
We have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron as we happened to be in the area at lunchtime. The line was quite long but moved along quickly. I had fish and chips and Gene had a sausage sandwich. For quick service, the food is surprisingly good. Once you order your food, you are given a "candlestick" with a number on it. You wait to be directed to a table to which you carry your candlestick. Your food is then delivered to your table and your candlestick is removed for reuse.
We took Hogwart's Express over to Islands of Adventure where I, once again, did the single rider line for the Harry Potter ride. It was a true walk on. No one else was in the single rider line at all and just as I arrived at the ride load area, I was paired with a dad and his two sons. The ride did not break down this time. (On my last go through, I got almost to the end when the ride came to a very jerky stop. It started and stopped two more times before I was delivered back to the loading platform.)
It was time for us to leave. On the walk back, we stopped at the outdoor section of the Margarittaville bar. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy a drink in the sun although the temperature was already starting to drop as we finished - after all sunset was now less than an hour away.
When we left the ship, we had just thrown stuff in whatever bag was handy but that will not do for the flight home tomorrow so, when we return to the room, we repack. Somehow we are able to fit it all in (even all Gene's new glasses) and within weight limits (the portable scale I bought a few years back was an excellent investment!)
I've already received a voice mail from the car service that will pick us up at 10:30 in the morning. I also have an e-mail from Jet Blue saying we can check in for our flight.
We visit the concierge desk and are quickly able to check in for our flight and get our printed boarding passes. All is good.
For dinner we decided to visit the on-site Polynesian style restaurant, Islands. The offer a $38 family style diner for two. We opt for sweet and sour pork along with teriyaki beef as our two choices. We have our choice of rice or lo mein plus vegetables. We choose the lo mein and vegetable option. The pork is okay. The beef is good. The lo mein looks and tastes like spaghetti. The vegetables look good but aren't even warm. We each order drinks (doubles) which are outrageously expensive and nowhere near what a double should be. I would not rush back to this restaurant.
Although it was not billed as a character meal and we were not expecting to see any characters, Bart and Homer Simpson are circulating through the dining room. We are there long enough that they visit our table twice.
After dinner, we head back to our room for our last sleep before returning home tomorrow.
Today is the last full day of our trip. It is still pretty chilly this morning but does get into the low 70's late in the afternoon. Even that feels a bit chilly in the shade given the humidity is so low.
After another breakfast from the lobby selections, we walk over to Universal Studios and arrive around 9:15 or so. Again, there are some things that I do solo as Gene does not want to risk a repeat of his motion sickness. Not in the order in which we do them, we do Transformers: The Ride-3D (I do this one solo. To me, it appears to be the same vehicle, track and ride as Spiderman - the only real difference being different effects.); Revenge of the Mummy (This we can do together as it is a roller coaster. The ride is quite smooth - in my opinion, smoother than Rock n Roller Coaster); Beetlejuice's Graveyard Review (This has not improved over time and we leave before the show is complete); Disaster (The old Earthquake ride updated but not a significantly different ride); Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott's (I do this one solo again. The single rider line is longer than when I did it before but it doesn't seem to take any longer to get through it.); Men In Black (I always liked this ride - wish I scored better. As before, Gene handily outscores me.); and the Horror Make Up Show (pretty much unchanged).
We have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron as we happened to be in the area at lunchtime. The line was quite long but moved along quickly. I had fish and chips and Gene had a sausage sandwich. For quick service, the food is surprisingly good. Once you order your food, you are given a "candlestick" with a number on it. You wait to be directed to a table to which you carry your candlestick. Your food is then delivered to your table and your candlestick is removed for reuse.
We took Hogwart's Express over to Islands of Adventure where I, once again, did the single rider line for the Harry Potter ride. It was a true walk on. No one else was in the single rider line at all and just as I arrived at the ride load area, I was paired with a dad and his two sons. The ride did not break down this time. (On my last go through, I got almost to the end when the ride came to a very jerky stop. It started and stopped two more times before I was delivered back to the loading platform.)
It was time for us to leave. On the walk back, we stopped at the outdoor section of the Margarittaville bar. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy a drink in the sun although the temperature was already starting to drop as we finished - after all sunset was now less than an hour away.
When we left the ship, we had just thrown stuff in whatever bag was handy but that will not do for the flight home tomorrow so, when we return to the room, we repack. Somehow we are able to fit it all in (even all Gene's new glasses) and within weight limits (the portable scale I bought a few years back was an excellent investment!)
I've already received a voice mail from the car service that will pick us up at 10:30 in the morning. I also have an e-mail from Jet Blue saying we can check in for our flight.
We visit the concierge desk and are quickly able to check in for our flight and get our printed boarding passes. All is good.
For dinner we decided to visit the on-site Polynesian style restaurant, Islands. The offer a $38 family style diner for two. We opt for sweet and sour pork along with teriyaki beef as our two choices. We have our choice of rice or lo mein plus vegetables. We choose the lo mein and vegetable option. The pork is okay. The beef is good. The lo mein looks and tastes like spaghetti. The vegetables look good but aren't even warm. We each order drinks (doubles) which are outrageously expensive and nowhere near what a double should be. I would not rush back to this restaurant.
Although it was not billed as a character meal and we were not expecting to see any characters, Bart and Homer Simpson are circulating through the dining room. We are there long enough that they visit our table twice.
After dinner, we head back to our room for our last sleep before returning home tomorrow.