Cheapness In Seattle (A 2019 PNW Trip Report - 2020 update added on 6/25

Scientific evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of Rope Drop.
::yes::
I understand the desire to get ahead of everyone, but I have to think it increases the likelihood somebody will get hurt.
Well... it probably does, but... what I saw were pretty athletic kids who were adept at dodging. I wasn't overly concerned. It wasn't like the mob for FoP or Smuggler's Run.
I think it was generally to be expected. Everyone is using the lockers, and they beat it into your heads not to have everyone in your party go into the locker room, so I think everyone just understands what's happening.
Okay, that makes sense. Also makes it easier for the line cutters. But... generally, they aren't that prevalent anyways.
That's so irritating. You just don't get any information at all. Meanwhile, the clock keeps ticking and the wait times for the other rides keep getting longer and longer...
I know. And your stress ramps up every second.
I think the effects are very well done. But it just didn't do much for me as a ride. Felt like I was sitting in a bus watching a movie, not really a part of the action.
It's like... a really awesome drive-in movie. But a really crappy ride if you close your eyes.
No, I'm pretty sure it's up and running again and I--




HEY!
:rolleyes1
Mummy was a ton of fun. It really felt like it moved fast.
::yes::
I will almost always take a coaster over a simulator
Definitely! Far superior.
My kids told me that they think I would have really liked it. And they're probably right. I was just skittish after already getting motion sickness the day before. I didn't want to chance it.
Next time, skip Simpsons and try it. But front(ish) row.
This series gave me whiplash.
:laughing:
Precisely. I would spend a month in traction if I tried that.
I couldn't get in that position to get to the traction part.
 
There are very few certainties in life, but there are a few characteristics of our shared experience that we can all take to the bank.

Death.

Taxes.

Disappointing politicians.

The list goes on.

Yeah, tell me about it....

Rope Drop has never failed me. We live by it as a family, and even my three teenage kids who want nothing more than to sleep in and lie around in their pajamas all day are believers in the power of Rope Drop.

This does not bode well.

I’d hoped that the night of concerts would make most of the people staying onsite sleep in, but that was proving not to be the case. Our goal for the morning (along with 98% of the other people there) was to head straight for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure.

Figures....

A few minutes later, there was an announcement on the loudspeaker: “Attention, please. Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure is currently down due to mechanical issues. We hope to have it running shortly. Thank you for your continued patience.”

Ugh.

Ugh is right.

Eventually, after about an hour of waiting for Hagrid with no sign of opening, we bailed on the ride.

Sorry....

Welcome to Universal, where nothing works! Not even Rope Drop.

Ugh. That has not been ny experience, but I have not been during a high release time.

We made our way through the King Kong queue, which is really well done.

Maybe too well done. Drew started freaking out. There were a lot of loud chants, warnings of upsetting the gods, dark passages, and people shouting in foreign languages. They even have live actors jumping out of the wall in a couple places, for pete’s sake. So it wasn’t long before Drew wanted no part of this place. Dave volunteered to take him out and wait for us, so we appreciated him taking one for the team.

Score one for Dave!

But hey, we got on a ride! So we had that going for us, which was nice. At that point, this was the sum total of our day:

For us that might jot be so bad but for you guys it's not good at all. :sad2:

I tried my best to keep Drew company. This was pretty much turning out to be a lost day at the parks, so we just had to make the best of it. We slowly crawled through the line and sure enough, an hour later we were finally climbing onto the Hippogriff.

The ride is the Barnstormer. Like, literally. I think they actually have the exact same track layout. If not, it’s remarkably close. Like the Barnstormer, the ride lasts about 30 seconds.

I rode this ride as whatever it was before Harry Potter Land was even built. I knew it was nothing to even ride again, but evidently you got to see Hagrid's cabin in the queue was that even there now that the mototbike ride is open?

After a grand total of two (2) rides, it was now time for lunch. Seeing nothing in IOA that appealed to us, we decided to switch parks.

Understandable.


So, after an entire day in two theme parks and a grand total of 4 rides, we left to go get dinner.

Sorry you had such a sad day.

We ate dinner at a place that was new to us: Maria & Enzo’s.

I have heard mixed reviews of this place......

The food itself was pretty good. Not the best, not the worst.

That sounds about right.

Later on, he came back and Sarah was ready for him. She asked him to play the theme from Doctor Who. The guy confessed that he didn’t know that one off the top of his head. So he asked for 5 minutes. We saw him walk off to the corner and pull out his phone, and then hold it up to his ear. Then he returned to the table and said, “Ok, this is a different one. There are a lot of…space noises? In that one. Very different from what I’m used to. This is my favorite request of the night. I’ll do my best!”

And with that, he did a flawless rendition, complete with amusing facial expressions for the “space noises”. He earned his tip.

I have so many questions, being a musician.....but I fear that I can not properly ask them, nor would you be able to answer them, I just think that this is cool as I love the Dr. Who theme, so I can only imagine how he recreated it on a violin.

Maybe a Monday in January would be less crowded. We could only hope.

Please, I hope for you, but isn't this Martin Luther King weekend?

We also hoped we could get the kids out of bed in the morning.

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Does he really sleep like that?

Coming Up Next: Can Rope Drop be redeemed?

I sure hope so! For your own sake!!!!!!
 
Well... it probably does, but... what I saw were pretty athletic kids who were adept at dodging. I wasn't overly concerned. It wasn't like the mob for FoP or Smuggler's Run.

Makes sense.

Okay, that makes sense. Also makes it easier for the line cutters. But... generally, they aren't that prevalent anyways.

True. I'm sure some of that goes on, but I think the majority of people are using the lockers or understand that others are doing that.

I know. And your stress ramps up every second.

::yes::

It's like... a really awesome drive-in movie. But a really crappy ride if you close your eyes.

Sounds about right. So it added up to a "meh" for me.

Next time, skip Simpsons and try it. But front(ish) row.

I'll have to do that. My kids really loved it.

I couldn't get in that position to get to the traction part.

Me neither. Oh, to be young again...

This does not bode well.

Win some, lose some. We lost that day.

Ugh. That has not been ny experience, but I have not been during a high release time.

I think we just had a run of bad luck. It happens.

Score one for Dave!

He's a sweet kid. He'll be a good dad.

For us that might jot be so bad but for you guys it's not good at all.

Not when I have such limited time!

I rode this ride as whatever it was before Harry Potter Land was even built. I knew it was nothing to even ride again, but evidently you got to see Hagrid's cabin in the queue was that even there now that the mototbike ride is open?

Yes, Hagrid's cabin is there! You can't go in, so it's just an exterior. But it's something to look at.

Sorry you had such a sad day.

Hey, it's not your fault!

I have heard mixed reviews of this place......

Ok food, good theme. :thumbsup2

I have so many questions, being a musician.....but I fear that I can not properly ask them, nor would you be able to answer them, I just think that this is cool as I love the Dr. Who theme, so I can only imagine how he recreated it on a violin.

He basically played the melody. Added some flourishes, but I'm not a violinist so I doubt I could describe them properly.

Please, I hope for you, but isn't this Martin Luther King weekend?

No, that was the weekend prior. I had tried hard to avoid holiday crowds, but didn't know about the concert that weekend.

Does he really sleep like that?

Not usually. He basically fell asleep while we were getting his pajamas on. Just didn't have any energy left.

I sure hope so! For your own sake!!!!!!

We shall see...
 
So two wands brings twice the good fortune!

At twice the price.
If you get to ride it, maybe...

Sigh... yeah. :(
I actually did read good things about that restaurant. But we didn't bother trying for it.
I had other places higher on the list. This will probably make 2nd cut. :)

Men In Black was fun, but I'd take a roller coaster any day. Part of the reason I liked Mummy so much was that my expectations weren't real high going in.

Sound reasons there.

He actually does like coasters. Just not scary monsters and loud noises.

Ahh, okay. That makes a lot of sense. He'll grow out of that too in time.
eah, Harry Potter beats a circus for theme. But after an hour in line, I confess I didn't care about the theme much.

I can see that.
Absolutely! We find it impossible to go to Florida without coming up with a reason to get to Disney property somehow.

I'm starting to actually see the best of both "worlds" now. They each have their strengths and I can honestly say I do think I'll be back to Uni again. With the restrictions that Disney is having and the confusion and "rules" and especially with their limits on things to do, I might even venture to guess I might go there instead of Disney except for a few meals sooner.
I wonder if it was the same server? I can't remember her name, though.
It is quite possible and now I'm REALLY kicking myself for not writing down her name too. :( Since she specifically invited us to her city and I"m taking her up on it, it would have been nice to try to visit her. Really sad about that.
 
I guess I like drive ins more. I really liked it.

Hey, that's fine! I'm glad you enjoyed the ride.

At twice the price.

::yes::

I had other places higher on the list. This will probably make 2nd cut.

Hope it's a good one!

Ahh, okay. That makes a lot of sense. He'll grow out of that too in time.

Yeah. He's already growing up fast.

I'm starting to actually see the best of both "worlds" now. They each have their strengths and I can honestly say I do think I'll be back to Uni again. With the restrictions that Disney is having and the confusion and "rules" and especially with their limits on things to do, I might even venture to guess I might go there instead of Disney except for a few meals sooner.

There were definitely things we liked better at Universal and things we liked about Disney. I'll sum it up at the end.

For now, I'm not going anywhere near a theme park until the pandemic subsides/a vaccine is created/whatever. It's just not worth it.

It is quite possible and now I'm REALLY kicking myself for not writing down her name too. :( Since she specifically invited us to her city and I"m taking her up on it, it would have been nice to try to visit her. Really sad about that.

I'm totally blanking on her name. Oh, well. I'm sure she would be flattered that you decided to take her advice.
 
Bonus Chapter 5: The Motorbike Redemption

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Well…one of those statements was going to turn out to be true. On Monday morning, our last day in the parks, we attempted once more to make it through the Rope Drop gauntlet for Islands of Adventure. We actually adjusted our arrival time about 10 minutes earlier, and were rewarded with a spot in line much closer to the gates. This time, we knew what to expect and were ready to go.

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Once again, we followed the pack all the way to the back of the park. Once again, we followed the signs as the Team Members corralled us into line for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventures. Once again, Julie and I braved the phone booth locker room as we stowed our belongings. We started the long walk through the ride queue and…we got further than we had the day before. A good sign.

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We heard the sound of motorcycle engines. Also a good sign. And then we saw a train moving along the coaster track—and there were people in it! Hallelujah.

We kept walking, so it was hard to take photos of the queue. Clearly we were in a much better spot than the previous morning, because we kept moving all the way until we got to the final room before loading.

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So, as near as I can tell, the queue had some cool elements, but I didn’t really get a chance to look at any of them,

Which was fine with me. After three days of anticipation, I wanted to ride this thing.

We ran into one final hiccup. At the last turn, they had a height measurement board. The team member asked Drew to stand up next to it, and he was right on the edge (the height requirement for the ride is 48 inches). He looked just a bit short, but we had him stand up taller and his head just hit the bottom of the board. So the team member said he was good to go.

Then, we turned the corner and got to the loading room. There was another height board on the wall, and again they asked to measure Drew. This time, he wasn’t even close. We tried to explain that he had measured up just fine in the previous room, so they measured again. We tried to get Drew to stand up straighter, but he didn’t seem to be processing what we were saying with all the noise and commotion. So he stood at the wall, and came up woefully short again. The team members directed us to the waiting room for a child swap.

I’m not exactly sure what happened there. I know he met the sign in the first room. And I wish we’d put up more of a fight, because I think he would have loved the ride. But he wasn’t even close to the second sign, and there were a ton of people piling up behind us, putting the pressure on. So we made a split-second decision for Julie to take Drew to the waiting area, and then I’d do the child swap with her afterwards.

Despite that sudden change in plans, we were finally getting on Hagrid’s Motorbikes.

Folks, this might just be the best ride in Florida.

First off, it’s an actual coaster. No motion simulation whatsoever, thank goodness. Second, it’s a LONG coaster. I believe it’s over a mile of track if I recall correctly, so it feels like you’re getting your money’s worth out of the ride. Third, it’s very FAST. There are 7 different launches along the way, and just when you think you’ve hit top speed another one comes along to send you blasting down the track even faster. It’s great fun. Finally, they throw every trick in the book at you—launches, animatronics, sharp turns, switches, a sudden change in direction—the ride has it all. I was a bit worried I wouldn’t like the drop track late in the game, but that was a non-issue—it’s over before you even know what happened. The ride is just an absolute blast, and I can see why It’s so insanely popular.

I wish I could have ridden it again. But sadly, I had to switch places with Julie so she could join in on the fun. She decided to take the big kids with her to see if they could ride it again—I mean, the worst they can do is say no, right? Well, the stars were aligned and the team member was feeling generous, so Sarah, Dave and Scotty all got a second ride. Punks.

They have been rubbing it in for the last 6 months. I don’t know where they learned such cruel behavior. I expected better from them.

Anyway, the ride is great.

We wandered Hogsmeade a bit as the kids tried out some of the little interactive wand games. They were ok, but after 2 or 3 they seemed to get bored with it.

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Afterwards, David was pushing to try out the Hulk coaster, since he had skipped it the day before. So Sarah and Scotty happily went with him to conquer that one. Meanwhile, Drew REALLY wanted to show me the Dr. Seuss rides. Julie appealed to my standing as an incredible father to go with him. She also appealed to the fact that she’d done those rides once and didn’t want to have to do them again. So I let Drew lead me to Seuss Landing.

Unpopular Opinion Alert:

I am not a huge fan of Dr. Seuss.

Yes, I know, he’s popular the world over and almost everyone loves his stories. But I must confess that occasionally I find them a bit tiresome. For one thing, some of them make for very long bedtime stories. He likes to repeat himself (see: Green Eggs and Ham), which means instead of just reading the next line in the story, you have to read every line that has already been written in the story thus far, over and over and over again ad nauseum. When you just want to get your kid down to bed so you can go veg out in front of Netflix, it gets old very quickly. And I also don’t think you get points for rhyming if you just make up words that don’t exist.

So, that’s my extremely unpopular opinion, and I’m fully prepared to be on an island on this one. That being said, I’m glad we live in the current age, where humility, grace, nuance and differences of opinion are fully respected and valued, so I know I won’t be flamed at all for this.

The first ride Drew took me on was the One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ride. It’s got a similar ride mechanism as Dumbo or the Flying Carpets, but it’s a completely different experience. I mean, you’re sitting in a fish, not a carpet.

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There are a couple of creatures that spit water at you as you ride around, which didn’t sound great to me that morning since it was about 60 degrees outside. But Drew managed to skillfully pilot the fish around to avoid any soakings, which was much appreciated.

Next up was the Cat in the Hat ride. That one…how should I put this?


I do not like the Cat in the Hat ride.

I would not like it if it was a slide.

I did not think it was very cool.

I’d even call it Nightmare Fuel.

The Cat in the Hat was scary-looking.

Not sure what drugs the designers were cooking.

It had incredibly bad animatronics,

Which made my eyes turn all flazzlepollixed. (See?)

I guess Andrew liked it okay,

He’s the target audience anyway.

At the very least, I could close my eyes

And dream of more Harry Potter rides.


Well, thank God that’s over with. What’s next? Ah, the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley. This is like the Disney Monorail if it was smaller and more cramped, open-air, and moved slower than the Tomorrowland Speedway. The team member at the loading area told me to remove my hat and hold onto it, lest I lose it on the ride. Trust me, dude, the only way I was losing my hat on that ride was if I’d thrown it myself.

“Dad, isn’t this fun?” Drew asked.

“Yeah, it’s great!” I said, lying through my teeth. Father of the Year, right here.

The big kids re-joined us, all in a much better mood after riding the Hulk. Dave said it was “freakin’ awesome.” Which is pretty close to what I said about the Dr. Seuss rides, except for that last word.

We all got onto the Caro-Seuss-el (get it?) for a spin on the Merry-Go-Round with Ugly Horses.

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It was a merry-go-round, so Drew was happy.

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And with that, we completed our tour of Seuss Landing.

Oops, not quite. Julie had to use the restroom, so I sat and waited outside while a random voice said, “Q is for quan. Quan is for quandary,” over and over again. She finally emerged just at the point where I was actually starting to wish I was on the It’s A Small World ride instead, which is a dark and disturbing place to be.

We were very thankful we’d gotten the third day free in the parks, since that’s what enabled us to ride on Hagrid. But we only had about half a day or so, and our time was running short. We decided we’d try and end on a high note, so we went back to Hogsmeade and then rode the Hogwarts Express over to Universal Studios and Diagon Alley.

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The wait for Escape from Gringotts was only about 25 minutes at that point, so we decided to go for that one again.

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I liked how these newspaper images were animated, just like in the movies. It was a cool effect.

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Gringotts proved to be an excellent choice for our final ride, as we all had a great time once again. With that, we took one last look at Diagon Alley and then bid a fond adieu.

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With a stop in the gift shop, of course.

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Coming Up Next: a bit more Bubble time before our flight.
 


Bonus Chapter 5: The Motorbike Redemption
Dun dun dunnnnnn!!!!!!
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
I thought that was called "practice".

"Junior, keep practicing those piano scales."
"That's insane!"
<smack!>
We actually adjusted our arrival time about 10 minutes earlier, and were rewarded with a spot in line much closer to the gates.
You're learning. goooood..
This time, we knew what to expect and were ready to go.
But weren't the elbow and knee pads uncomfortable in the Florida heat?
We started the long walk through the ride queue and…we got further than we had the day before. A good sign.
::yes::
So, as near as I can tell, the queue had some cool elements, but I didn’t really get a chance to look at any of them,

Which was fine with me. After three days of anticipation, I wanted to ride this thing.
Yeah, I'd rather move through a queue quickly. I don't care how much stuff is in it. I'm here for the ride... not the queue.
We ran into one final hiccup. At the last turn, they had a height measurement board. The team member asked Drew to stand up next to it, and he was right on the edge (the height requirement for the ride is 48 inches). He looked just a bit short, but we had him stand up taller and his head just hit the bottom of the board. So the team member said he was good to go.
You really had me here. I was all set to reply with a "Phew!" or something.
So he stood at the wall, and came up woefully short again. The team members directed us to the waiting room for a child swap.
:sad2:
That's too bad. I don't know how intense it is, but sounds like he would've liked it.
Folks, this might just be the best ride in Florida.
High praise!!
Second, it’s a LONG coaster. I believe it’s over a mile of track if I recall correctly,
Just under. Wiki says 5,053 ft.
There are 7 different launches along the way,
Whoa! So I googled again... 50mph! Not bad!
and just when you think you’ve hit top speed another one comes along to send you blasting down the track even faster.
:goodvibes
The ride is just an absolute blast, and I can see why It’s so insanely popular.
Would explain the insane waits for it. Is it because people keep riding it over and over expecting different results?
Sarah, Dave and Scotty all got a second ride
nice.
:lmao:
They have been rubbing it in for the last 6 months. I don’t know where they learned such cruel behavior.
Probably from Julie.
We wandered Hogsmeade a bit as the kids tried out some of the little interactive wand games. They were ok, but after 2 or 3 they seemed to get bored with it.
Yeah... It was like that when Kay did it in California. Fun at first, but...
Drew REALLY wanted to show me the Dr. Seuss rides. Julie appealed to my standing as an incredible father to go with him.
Yup. They definitely got it from Julie.
Unpopular Opinion Alert:

I am not a huge fan of Dr. Seuss.
Meh. I'm not gonna care one way or another. I read (or had read to me) Dr. Seuss when I was a kid, but quickly moved on to other things.
When you just want to get your kid down to bed so you can go veg out in front of Netflix, it gets old very quickly. And I also don’t think you get points for rhyming if you just make up words that don’t exist.
So, you're not a fan?
This makes you not a man,
Marzipan.

Sure. It works.
That being said, I’m glad we live in the current age, where humility, grace, nuance and differences of opinion are fully respected and valued, so I know I won’t be flamed at all for this.
503916
It’s got a similar ride mechanism as Dumbo or the Flying Carpets, but it’s a completely different experience. I mean, you’re sitting in a fish, not a carpet.
Totally different. I don't even know why you'd bring those up.
Drew managed to skillfully pilot the fish around to avoid any soakings, which was much appreciated.
Ah! Smart lad. Or one with a strong self preservation streak.
I do not like the Cat in the Hat ride.

I would not like it if it was a slide.

I did not think it was very cool.

I’d even call it Nightmare Fuel.

The Cat in the Hat was scary-looking.

Not sure what drugs the designers were cooking.

It had incredibly bad animatronics,

Which made my eyes turn all flazzlepollixed. (See?)
:lmao:
I guess Andrew liked it okay,

He’s the target audience anyway.

At the very least, I could close my eyes

And dream of more Harry Potter rides.
<applaud> Well done. I see a future as a failed children's book author for you.
Well, thank God that’s over with. What’s next? Ah, the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley. This is like the Disney Monorail if it was smaller and more cramped, open-air, and moved slower than the Tomorrowland Speedway.
Actually, I think it's closer to the WEDway peoplemover.
The team member at the loading area told me to remove my hat and hold onto it, lest I lose it on the ride.
Told me that too. They probably had one person lose their hat and fall in the water. Probably because the other person squeezed into the car threw it there.
The big kids re-joined us, all in a much better mood after riding the Hulk. Dave said it was “freakin’ awesome.” Which is pretty close to what I said about the Dr. Seuss rides, except for that last word.
:rolleyes:
We all got onto the Caro-Seuss-el (get it?)
No. Can you explain that in detail? (And make sure it rhymes.)
:rotfl2:
She finally emerged just at the point where I was actually starting to wish I was on the It’s A Small World ride instead, which is a dark and disturbing place to be.
Yikes! That bad, huh?
The wait for Escape from Gringotts was only about 25 minutes at that point, so we decided to go for that one again.
Yeah, that's pretty short for that ride.
Nice shot. Haven't seen that angle before.
I liked how these newspaper images were animated, just like in the movies. It was a cool effect.
::yes::
With a stop in the gift shop, of course.
Of course. :rolleyes2
 
I was a bit worried I wouldn’t like the drop track late in the game, but that was a non-issue—it’s over before you even know what happened. The ride is just an absolute blast, and I can see why It’s so insanely popular.
Sounds like a good ride. Especially if there’s not much of a drop, which is always what I worry about. Speed, on the other hand, is cool.

We wandered Hogsmeade a bit as the kids tried out some of the little interactive wand games. They were ok, but after 2 or 3 they seemed to get bored with it.
I’ve never done the interactive wand thing, but whenever I saw anyone doing it, it seemed like a lot of waving the wand around trying to get it to work but only being successful at becoming frustrated by A. The thing not working at all or B. The thing not really doing that much if it did work.
But I’m sure for Potter super fans it’s a cool thing to do.

So, that’s my extremely unpopular opinion, and I’m fully prepared to be on an island on this one.
I can see your point and I can meet you part way.
But I have nostalgic memories of my mother reading McElligot’s Pool to me (for some reason that was my favourite). I read some of the stories to my kids, but admittedly it was only occasionally.

That being said, I’m glad we live in the current age, where humility, grace, nuance and differences of opinion are fully respected and valued,
Can I live in your world for a while? It seems like a nice place. The one I’ve been living in the past few months is wearing a bit thin.

Not sure what drugs the designers were cooking.
Probably got them off the ones who designed the second half of the ET ride.

Well, thank God that’s over with. What’s next? Ah, the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley.
My youngest absolutely loved that ride when she was 3. I think I went on it about 6 times one trip. To make it better, after a couple rides she only wanted to go on the track that went inside the restaurant, so we had to ask the TM for that every time.
 
Hooray for rope drop success! So glad you made it on the ride and your kiddos went twice. My coaster nerd sons really want to ride that!

I’m also on the don’t love Dr. Seuss team...

Hope the beginning of summer is going well at Casa Oblivious.
 
Awww...Scotty is there with you. All 4 of my kids took the quiz and got sorted into different houses. True story.

Joe is a Ravenclaw, much to my annoyance. We have Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw ornaments for our tree. I'll be interested to see what Eleanor sorts as.

can't say I know anything about Stardust, book or movie. I've seen many books ruined by the movies though. A couple of notable exceptions:

The Hunt for Red October
The Martian

I highly recommend the movie. It's on Netflix, and it's a good fantasy/comedy/romance/adventure. It has something for everyone.

The Martian is the audiobook we're currently working on while driving to the lake. We both really enjoy it, though I will admit there are some parts where it gets really technical and I kind of zone out.

Another nice touch was that all 6 of us could fit into one ride vehicle. That’s a rarity.

People laugh when I say I want an even-numbered family so that no one has to sit alone on Expedition Everest. They don't realize I'm not joking.

And if you’re accusing us of being hopelessly addicted to Disney World, to the point where we’d use any excuse to spend a little time there…well, you’re not wrong.

No judgment here! We walk through the Disney Store at the mall just to get a tiny taste of pixie dust.

One of the most incontrovertible Rules of Life is that when visiting theme parks (or anywhere, for that matter), Rope Drop always works.

When Joe and I had been dating about two years, I decided he needed to go to Disney so we could see if this relationship would work. He was used to college-Annie, who napped every chance she got and didn't wake up before 10. He was very confused by Disney-Annie who bounced out of bed at 6 saying "Get up! We've gotta go!"

I think he doubted my sanity when our first day was at SeaWorld, and I was operating on Disney Rope Drop so we got there before the parking lot was even open. Heh, whoops. We got a great parking spot though!

Every review I’d read of the ride (whether official or from friends) had basically declared it The Greatest Theme Park Ride Of All Time. So naturally, we were eager to try it out.

Have you guys been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg? They have a similar, more watered-down version called Verbolten. It has launches and a drop, none of which I knew about the first time I rode it. I fell in love instantly, and constantly told Joe we needed to go back so that he could ride it (that first ride was with my mom). Finally, in October of 2018 I talked him into buying tickets to Christmastown at Busch Gardens, where the park opens at night and is all fancily decorated and Verbolten is open. Our tickets were for January 1 (because I'm cheap and went with the least expensive dates). December 7 I had a positive pregnancy test. -_-

We still went, and I went through the line with Joe but bowed out and sulked on a bench while he rode. He agreed that it was one of the greatest coasters ever, so now we just wait until we can go and ride it as a family. Or convince the suckers grandparents to come so we can baby swap.

They even have live actors jumping out of the wall in a couple places, for pete’s sake. So it wasn’t long before Drew wanted no part of this place.

I'm with Drew. I don't really understand why Universal felt the need to go quite so overboard with that queue. I don't handle the Tower of Terror (ok, ok, or the Haunted Mansion really) queue that well, so I'd probably cry if someone jumped out of me.

For one thing, some of them make for very long bedtime stories.

Right??? We have a couple of Dr. Seuss books, and almost all of them are over 40 pages long. Fox in Socks convinced me that the Dr was actually a sadist. At least at E's current age, I can get away with paraphrasing and skipping pages.

Julie had to use the restroom, so I sat and waited outside while a random voice said, “Q is for quan. Quan is for quandary,”

So there's a set of baby books that are the "ABC's of......" things like science. We have the Math and Engineering ones. Joe loves them, but I feel like this is probably in one of them.
 
Bonus Chapter 5: The Motorbike Redemption

This bodes well...

We actually adjusted our arrival time about 10 minutes earlier, and were rewarded with a spot in line much closer to the gates. This time, we knew what to expect and were ready to go.

Even better!

We tried to get Drew to stand up straighter, but he didn’t seem to be processing what we were saying with all the noise and commotion.

You were on such a roll. :sad2: Did you not brief him on the concept of "being as tall as he could?" before leaving home?

Folks, this might just be the best ride in Florida.

First off, it’s an actual coaster. No motion simulation whatsoever, thank goodness. Second, it’s a LONG coaster. I believe it’s over a mile of track if I recall correctly, so it feels like you’re getting your money’s worth out of the ride. Third, it’s very FAST. There are 7 different launches along the way, and just when you think you’ve hit top speed another one comes along to send you blasting down the track even faster. It’s great fun. Finally, they throw every trick in the book at you—launches, animatronics, sharp turns, switches, a sudden change in direction—the ride has it all.

That sounds great! Someday when this pandemic thing is all over I'll plan in a trip to Universal again.

She also appealed to the fact that she’d done those rides once and didn’t want to have to do them again. So I let Drew lead me to Seuss Landing.

Unpopular Opinion Alert:

I am not a huge fan of Dr. Seuss.

See and that was one of my favorite parts of IOA on my first trip. Before they had Hardy Potter land.

That being said, I’m glad we live in the current age, where humility, grace, nuance and differences of opinion are fully respected and valued, so I know I won’t be flamed at all for this.

I can't imagine why anyone would flame you. In this time and age we have evolved as a society that we have moved past the need for name calling, blaming, falsifying events, and the need to exert our opinions on each other. Oh wait thats only a handful of people. :sad2: Leadership not included.

Next up was the Cat in the Hat ride. That one…how should I put this?


I do not like the Cat in the Hat ride.

I would not like it if it was a slide.

I did not think it was very cool.

I’d even call it Nightmare Fuel.

The Cat in the Hat was scary-looking.

Not sure what drugs the designers were cooking.

It had incredibly bad animatronics,

Which made my eyes turn all flazzlepollixed. (See?)

I guess Andrew liked it okay,

He’s the target audience anyway.

At the very least, I could close my eyes

And dream of more Harry Potter rides.

You should write children's books!

We all got onto the Caro-Seuss-el (get it?) for a spin on the Merry-Go-Round with Ugly Horses

I love that one!

Oops, not quite. Julie had to use the restroom, so I sat and waited outside while a random voice said, “Q is for quan. Quan is for quandary,” over and over again.

That's random....

The wait for Escape from Gringotts was only about 25 minutes at that point, so we decided to go for that one again.

Nice! Not a bad wait time!

I liked how these newspaper images were animated, just like in the movies. It was a cool effect.

Definitely a cool effect.
 
Yay!!! So happy you got to ride Hagrid's. Yes, it is a long wait but so worth it!! LOL at Seuss land, so very true. I don't ride the Hulk or Rip Ride Rocket so I usually go on the trolley while the family does the insane rides :-) I totally get going into the Disney bubble even if you are not there to go to parks. My mom lives about 35 minutes outside of Disney so when times were "normal" (sigh) we would often go for dinner or hotel hopping just to get into that bubble. One of our best times was visiting the campground in December. Soooo many holiday decorations, it was really fun!
 
I thought that was called "practice".

"Junior, keep practicing those piano scales."
"That's insane!"
<smack!>

For some reason, parents don't like having their wisdom thrown back at them.

But weren't the elbow and knee pads uncomfortable in the Florida heat?

I just arranged my kids in a circle around me so they'd take the beating.

Yeah, I'd rather move through a queue quickly. I don't care how much stuff is in it. I'm here for the ride... not the queue.

Me too. I'm glad they're adding more distractions if you're stuck in line, but I really don't want to be stuck in line.

You really had me here. I was all set to reply with a "Phew!" or something.

I wish we'd taken a few extra seconds to try and get it worked out.

That's too bad. I don't know how intense it is, but sounds like he would've liked it.

Maybe a little more intense than BTMRR, due to the launches. I think he would have loved it.

High praise!!

It's just so much fun!

Just under. Wiki says 5,053 ft.

Ah. Well, it's easier to just say it's a mile.

Whoa! So I googled again... 50mph! Not bad!

We'll take it!

Would explain the insane waits for it. Is it because people keep riding it over and over expecting different results?

I don't know if it's possible to keep riding it over and over.

Probably from Julie.

That's gotta be it.

Yeah... It was like that when Kay did it in California. Fun at first, but...

One or two is fine. I didn't think the tricks were as clever as the features for the Agent P spy missions in Epcot.

Yup. They definitely got it from Julie.

::yes::

Meh. I'm not gonna care one way or another. I read (or had read to me) Dr. Seuss when I was a kid, but quickly moved on to other things.

I actually started to get irritated reading his stories to my kids at bedtime. Like, I would actively hope my kid wouldn't pick those books to read, because I knew it was going to take a long time.

I really am a grumpy old man.

So, you're not a fan?
This makes you not a man,
Marzipan.

Sure. It works.

Anybody can do it!


I've endured enough beatings from not liking fancy restaurants.

Totally different. I don't even know why you'd bring those up.

It just further serves to illustrate the uniqueness of this particular ride.

Ah! Smart lad. Or one with a strong self preservation streak.

I'm happy with either option.

<applaud> Well done. I see a future as a failed children's book author for you.

We could say I'm already a failed children's book author.

Actually, I think it's closer to the WEDway peoplemover.

Even the Peoplemover moves faster than that thing!

Told me that too. They probably had one person lose their hat and fall in the water. Probably because the other person squeezed into the car threw it there.

You make a good point--it was just me and Drew in there and it still felt too crowded.

No. Can you explain that in detail? (And make sure it rhymes.)

Next time I feel creative, I'll do that. Give me a couple of years.

Yikes! That bad, huh?

Instead of the same song over and over, it was just that one random sentence over and over.

Yeah, that's pretty short for that ride.

We definitely saw an opportunity! Made for a good final ride, too.

Nice shot. Haven't seen that angle before.

Thanks! That was about as far back as we could get in the alley on that side.
 
Sounds like a good ride. Especially if there’s not much of a drop, which is always what I worry about. Speed, on the other hand, is cool.

Such a great ride! It's fast, long, and smooth. The drop track supposedly falls 17 feet, but it didn't feel that far. It's so quick and gentle it was barely a blip for me.

I’ve never done the interactive wand thing, but whenever I saw anyone doing it, it seemed like a lot of waving the wand around trying to get it to work but only being successful at becoming frustrated by A. The thing not working at all or B. The thing not really doing that much if it did work.
But I’m sure for Potter super fans it’s a cool thing to do.

I think you summed it up well. Easy to get bored and frustrated with it. I liked the Agent P spy missions better.

I can see your point and I can meet you part way.
But I have nostalgic memories of my mother reading McElligot’s Pool to me (for some reason that was my favourite). I read some of the stories to my kids, but admittedly it was only occasionally.

It's fine. I figured I'd be way in the minority. I also didn't much care for The Sopranos and Seinfeld, so you really can't trust my judgment at all.

Can I live in your world for a while? It seems like a nice place. The one I’ve been living in the past few months is wearing a bit thin.

I wish I could tell you it's better here, but...sigh.

Probably got them off the ones who designed the second half of the ET ride.

You know, I had that same thought! :rotfl:

My youngest absolutely loved that ride when she was 3. I think I went on it about 6 times one trip. To make it better, after a couple rides she only wanted to go on the track that went inside the restaurant, so we had to ask the TM for that every time.

Well, at its current speed, that probably used up half your day.

Hooray for rope drop success! So glad you made it on the ride and your kiddos went twice. My coaster nerd sons really want to ride that!

I'm sure they will love it! I don't know anyone who doesn't.

I’m also on the don’t love Dr. Seuss team...

Hey, I thought I'd be alone on this!

Hope the beginning of summer is going well at Casa Oblivious.

As well as can be expected, given that all the fun stuff we love to do was taken away all at once!
 
For some reason, parents don't like having their wisdom thrown back at them.
Nope! And kids used to learn that early on... the hard way.
I just arranged my kids in a circle around me so they'd take the beating.
Wise. ::yes::
Me too. I'm glad they're adding more distractions if you're stuck in line, but I really don't want to be stuck in line.
Yep.
Ah. Well, it's easier to just say it's a mile.
Agreed. "How long is it?" "A mile!" Close enough.
I don't know if it's possible to keep riding it over and over.
Give it a try and let me know.
One or two is fine. I didn't think the tricks were as clever as the features for the Agent P spy missions in Epcot.
That's a very good point. It was an interesting diversion for a bit (a small bit), but... I dunno… Agent P seemed to get you more involved?
I actually started to get irritated reading his stories to my kids at bedtime. Like, I would actively hope my kid wouldn't pick those books to read, because I knew it was going to take a long time.

I really am a grumpy old man.
Yes you are.
I don't think I read Seuss to my kids. Mostly Munsch. Or I made up my own. Or I'd tell them stories from when I was a kid.
We could say I'm already a failed children's book author.
Me too! We should start a failed club.
Even the Peoplemover moves faster than that thing!
That's very true.
Next time I feel creative, I'll do that. Give me a couple of years.
Patiently waiting...
Instead of the same song over and over, it was just that one random sentence over and over.
oy!
Thanks! That was about as far back as we could get in the alley on that side.
::yes:: I recognized the umbrella so knew where you were.
 
Joe is a Ravenclaw, much to my annoyance. We have Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw ornaments for our tree. I'll be interested to see what Eleanor sorts as.

I ended up as a Gryffindor, so that's what I'm pulling for.

I highly recommend the movie. It's on Netflix, and it's a good fantasy/comedy/romance/adventure. It has something for everyone.

I'll have to add it to the list. I have so many movies on the DVR I haven't gotten around to yet.

The Martian is the audiobook we're currently working on while driving to the lake. We both really enjoy it, though I will admit there are some parts where it gets really technical and I kind of zone out.

It's definitely a heavy-science read. But then he throws in a line about Aquaman that literally makes me laugh out loud.

People laugh when I say I want an even-numbered family so that no one has to sit alone on Expedition Everest. They don't realize I'm not joking.

This is good planning.

No judgment here! We walk through the Disney Store at the mall just to get a tiny taste of pixie dust.

I've tried that. It would help if the Disney store would stock something for adults beyond like 5 t-shirts.

When Joe and I had been dating about two years, I decided he needed to go to Disney so we could see if this relationship would work. He was used to college-Annie, who napped every chance she got and didn't wake up before 10. He was very confused by Disney-Annie who bounced out of bed at 6 saying "Get up! We've gotta go!"

I think he doubted my sanity when our first day was at SeaWorld, and I was operating on Disney Rope Drop so we got there before the parking lot was even open. Heh, whoops. We got a great parking spot though!

Better to be too early than too late! It's survival of the fittest at Florida theme parks.

Have you guys been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg? They have a similar, more watered-down version called Verbolten. It has launches and a drop, none of which I knew about the first time I rode it. I fell in love instantly, and constantly told Joe we needed to go back so that he could ride it (that first ride was with my mom). Finally, in October of 2018 I talked him into buying tickets to Christmastown at Busch Gardens, where the park opens at night and is all fancily decorated and Verbolten is open. Our tickets were for January 1 (because I'm cheap and went with the least expensive dates). December 7 I had a positive pregnancy test. -_-

We still went, and I went through the line with Joe but bowed out and sulked on a bench while he rode. He agreed that it was one of the greatest coasters ever, so now we just wait until we can go and ride it as a family. Or convince the suckers grandparents to come so we can baby swap.

I went there once when I was on a high school band trip. So I'm guessing some things have changed since then. I don't think Verbolten was there at the time.

Stinks that you missed it. But at least you gave Joe a great experience!

I'm with Drew. I don't really understand why Universal felt the need to go quite so overboard with that queue. I don't handle the Tower of Terror (ok, ok, or the Haunted Mansion really) queue that well, so I'd probably cry if someone jumped out of me.

It did seem a bit extreme. Especially since the ride wasn't all that intense.

Right??? We have a couple of Dr. Seuss books, and almost all of them are over 40 pages long. Fox in Socks convinced me that the Dr was actually a sadist. At least at E's current age, I can get away with paraphrasing and skipping pages.

Fox in Socks...I cringe when Drew picks that one. Ugh.

So there's a set of baby books that are the "ABC's of......" things like science. We have the Math and Engineering ones. Joe loves them, but I feel like this is probably in one of them.

Could be? I wasn't motivated enough to go find it. It just seemed so random.
 
It's definitely a heavy-science read. But then he throws in a line about Aquaman that literally makes me laugh out loud.

I loved that line!!! That and his response in the chat when they tell him that everyone is watching

I've tried that. It would help if the Disney store would stock something for adults beyond like 5 t-shirts.

I feel like they're getting better, but I do agree. Only so many costumes and plushes my kid needs.

I went there once when I was on a high school band trip. So I'm guessing some things have changed since then. I don't think Verbolten was there at the time.

No. Verbolten replaced Big Bad Wolf.

It's only a 3 hour drive from us, so I've been there on multiple band trips, plus plenty of personal trips. It's actually my favorite theme park after Disney, because they do a good job of theming and making it not feel like a concrete jungle like Carowinds or Kings Dominion.

Fox in Socks...I cringe when Drew picks that one. Ugh.

I have a feeling the Dr. Seuss books may all mysteriously disappear when Eleanor gets to the age of picking books. I've missed the library most during this pandemic because we read her a book every night, and our collection, while decent, is still small enough that we've been through everything 4 or 5 times.

Could be? I wasn't motivated enough to go find it. It just seemed so random

It's not a Dr. Seuss book. These are by Chris Ferrie. Barnes & Noble had the whole collection and my STEM husband tried to buy them all.
 
This bodes well...

Even better!

Thank goodness we had the extra day! We needed it to be able to get on the ride.

You were on such a roll. :sad2: Did you not brief him on the concept of "being as tall as he could?" before leaving home?

Well, you know how kids can do things just fine at home and then freeze up in front of a crowd?

That sounds great! Someday when this pandemic thing is all over I'll plan in a trip to Universal again.

That was my favorite ride at Universal.

See and that was one of my favorite parts of IOA on my first trip. Before they had Hardy Potter land.

If it's any consolation, Drew liked it a lot.

I can't imagine why anyone would flame you. In this time and age we have evolved as a society that we have moved past the need for name calling, blaming, falsifying events, and the need to exert our opinions on each other. Oh wait thats only a handful of people. :sad2: Leadership not included.

Exactly. Lots of mature adults out there.

You should write children's books!

But @pkondz said I already failed at it!

I love that one!

It was...a merry-go-round.

That's random....

Extremely. It got annoying pretty quickly.

Nice! Not a bad wait time!

Not for that ride! It was a good ride to end the visit on.

Definitely a cool effect.

::yes::

Yay!!! So happy you got to ride Hagrid's. Yes, it is a long wait but so worth it!! LOL at Seuss land, so very true. I don't ride the Hulk or Rip Ride Rocket so I usually go on the trolley while the family does the insane rides :-) I totally get going into the Disney bubble even if you are not there to go to parks. My mom lives about 35 minutes outside of Disney so when times were "normal" (sigh) we would often go for dinner or hotel hopping just to get into that bubble. One of our best times was visiting the campground in December. Soooo many holiday decorations, it was really fun!

Whenever we happen to be in Florida, we find a way to "sneak" onto Disney property somehow. We just can't resist that siren call.
 
Sorry, it's taken me a fair spell to get here! Busy, busy!!

Well…one of those statements was going to turn out to be true. On Monday morning, our last day in the parks, we attempted once more to make it through the Rope Drop gauntlet for Islands of Adventure. We actually adjusted our arrival time about 10 minutes earlier, and were rewarded with a spot in line much closer to the gates. This time, we knew what to expect and were ready to go.

What a difference 10 minutes can make!! WOOT!!



We started the long walk through the ride queue and…we got further than we had the day before. A good sign.

YUS!!
Hallelujah.

You Handeled that well.

So, as near as I can tell, the queue had some cool elements, but I didn’t really get a chance to look at any of them,

It super does. Cuz I stood in it. A long time. :rolleyes:

We ran into one final hiccup. At the last turn, they had a height measurement board. The team member asked Drew to stand up next to it, and he was right on the edge (the height requirement for the ride is 48 inches). He looked just a bit short, but we had him stand up taller and his head just hit the bottom of the board. So the team member said he was good to go.

YAY!!! :woohoo:


The team members directed us to the waiting room for a child swap.

oh


Despite that sudden change in plans, we were finally getting on Hagrid’s Motorbikes.

Folks, this might just be the best ride in Florida.

MIGHT BE!?!?

First off, it’s an actual coaster. No motion simulation whatsoever, thank goodness. Second, it’s a LONG coaster. I believe it’s over a mile of track if I recall correctly, so it feels like you’re getting your money’s worth out of the ride. Third, it’s very FAST. There are 7 different launches along the way, and just when you think you’ve hit top speed another one comes along to send you blasting down the track even faster. It’s great fun. Finally, they throw every trick in the book at you—launches, animatronics, sharp turns, switches, a sudden change in direction—the ride has it all. I was a bit worried I wouldn’t like the drop track late in the game, but that was a non-issue—it’s over before you even know what happened. The ride is just an absolute blast, and I can see why It’s so insanely popular.

IT IS THE BEST RIDE IN FLORIDA!!!

I wish I could have ridden it again. But sadly, I had to switch places with Julie so she could join in on the fun. She decided to take the big kids with her to see if they could ride it again—I mean, the worst they can do is say no, right? Well, the stars were aligned and the team member was feeling generous, so Sarah, Dave and Scotty all got a second ride. Punks.

Those kids have no idea how lucky they are.

And I also don’t think you get points for rhyming if you just make up words that don’t exist.

Then you're saying portions of my TR are better than Suess?!

:banana:
but it’s a completely different experience. I mean, you’re sitting in a fish, not a carpet.

:lmao:
I do not like the Cat in the Hat ride.

I would not like it if it was a slide.

I did not think it was very cool.

I’d even call it Nightmare Fuel.

The Cat in the Hat was scary-looking.

Not sure what drugs the designers were cooking.

It had incredibly bad animatronics,

Which made my eyes turn all flazzlepollixed. (See?)

I guess Andrew liked it okay,

He’s the target audience anyway.

At the very least, I could close my eyes

And dream of more Harry Potter rides.

Okay... that was well done.

506715
This is like the Disney Monorail

...orrrr the People Mover?

“Dad, isn’t this fun?” Drew asked.

“Yeah, it’s great!” I said, lying through my teeth. Father of the Year, right here.

He's going to read this someday and develop bitterness in his heart.

I liked how these newspaper images were animated, just like in the movies. It was a cool effect.

It was a cool effect. Loved that!!!
 

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