Feeling Hot Hot Hot! The Universal Edition. Pictures Galore! COMPLETE

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

looking forward to readin gmore! it is helping me with our trip planning!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Another great update! Sadly we were not able to get the traditional Jaws picture when we went a few months ago because the line of people waiting was pretty long and we didn't feel like waiting. Even though the ride is dated, I'm glad we got to go on it once since it will be closed by the next time we go back. It was such a classic ride, I would hate for it to have closed for good and I never got to experience it.

Can't wait for more updates!

Yeah, I imagine the line for the Jaws photo op can get fairly long, we were so lucky that it was dead that day.

Yes, it was fun to go on it once, it is the traditional ride that I think of when I think of Universal Studios.

looking forward to readin gmore! it is helping me with our trip planning!

More coming today!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

May 18th continued

We left Amity and crossed over to The Simpsons Ride. You have to cross a bridge which provides you with a nice view of the San Francisco/Amity area and also of Men in Black and The Simpsons.

Men In Black

First up was The Simpsons Ride which used to be Back To The Future. Mom opted out of this ride as the motion of it would have made her ill. This was the first line that we encountered that day. This is where all the people were! Even so the wait was not too bad.

The idea behind this ride is that Krustyland has just opened and Sideshow Bob is taking this opportunity to kill Bart Simpson. It is a really fun motion simulator ride and I can see why it is so popular. If you are not familiar with the Bart/Sideshow Bob story there is a cartoon video at the beginning explaining the basic back-plot. The ride is enjoyable even if you don't know the storyline.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

After the ride we went over to Men In Black. This also had a bit of a line but not much of one.

Apparently as we were walking through the queue I cut a lady off from her group. Alek and Erich said she was making faces and gestures at me the whole way through the line. I don't understand why she would do that, not like I cut her off on purpose! You start off in a big room where there is no real line and then you are herded into a hallway, very easy to accidentally separate somebody from their group. All she had to do was tap me on the shoulder and explain what had happened and ask to pass me. Instead she opted to make rude gestures and faces at me. I was unaware this was going on until we got off the ride and Alek and Erich told me (they had been walking behind us). Oh well!

The ride was really fun, you can compare it to Buzz Lightyear but amped up! You go through the ride in your ride car and shoot at aliens and get a score. Lots of fun!

Afterwards we had to backtrack through the Simpsons area to get to the rest of the park. Before leaving we had to check out the Kwik-E-Mart.

 

[SharonK0527]

We loved The Simpsons ride!! Awesome simulator ride - one of the best we've been on. We rode it several times during our trip. We thought Men in Black was just okay. Most of the reason we didn't love it was because we couldn't figure out where we were supposed to be shooting. On Buzz Lightyear there are targets and stuff to aim at - we had trouble on MIB figuring out what to shoot at. I think if we had known more about MIB before we went on it (i.e. what to aim at), we would have liked it more.

Can't wait for the next update!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

We loved The Simpsons ride!! Awesome simulator ride - one of the best we've been on. We rode it several times during our trip. We thought Men in Black was just okay. Most of the reason we didn't love it was because we couldn't figure out where we were supposed to be shooting. On Buzz Lightyear there are targets and stuff to aim at - we had trouble on MIB figuring out what to shoot at. I think if we had known more about MIB before we went on it (i.e. what to aim at), we would have liked it more.

Can't wait for the next update!

Yeah, I can see MIB being confusing, especially if you are used to Buzz Lightyear and the targets being clearly visible.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

love all the simpson pictures! basically the only reason we are going to US is for the Simpsons. SIgh. I wanted to go to IOA, but since i am getting the trip to Disney, I compromised on going to see US. :O) Boyfriend is so super excited, he is slightly obsessed. I would LOVE to get him that all you can eat simpson shirt. oye. i think we will need a suitcase just for his souveniers!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

love all the simpson pictures! basically the only reason we are going to US is for the Simpsons. SIgh. I wanted to go to IOA, but since i am getting the trip to Disney, I compromised on going to see US. :O) Boyfriend is so super excited, he is slightly obsessed. I would LOVE to get him that all you can eat simpson shirt. oye. i think we will need a suitcase just for his souveniers!

Yeah, I went a little crazy on the Harry Potter souvenirs so I know what that is like. Hopefully you enjoy your day at the Studios and he likes the Simpsons area. It is a really fun ride.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

May 18th continued

We only had a small part of the park left to explore. Next up was the Kidzone, home of E.T.

E.T. is a Universal classic, we couldn't visit and not ride!

Mom decided not to go on it, she just wasn't feeling well, I think the heat was really getting to her.

There was no line and we walked right on. The ride was fun although a little creepy! I know E.T. is well loved but he has always kinda creeped me out so being surrounded by a bunch of E.T.'s was extra creepy! I can see why kids would love the ride. I wouldn't wait in a long line for it but it is a must do at least once if you have never visited Universal before.

While we were on the ride Mom got to watch a character dance party with Scooby and Shaggy, Woody Woodpecker, Curious George and The Man With The Yellow Hat. She took video, I like the music they were dancing to, old school 80's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4HsMkT0la4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLMg1ZBVOnE

After the dance party the characters came down for pictures and Mom got her picture taken with Curious George.

When we came out from the ride the characters were still out for pictures so Alek opted to get his picture with Curious George as well. He took the opportunity to ask The Man With The Yellow Hat what his "real" name was. If you want to know you will have to watch the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UaryGGYHIw

Some random pictures from the area

The last part of the park to explore was the Los Angeles/Beverly Hills section. The only thing of interest here for us was Terminator. Unfortunately we would have had to wait an hour for the next show and we didn't feel like hanging around for that. I still had my headache so going back to ride Revenge of The Mummy was also out, I was really sad about that.

We did see Homer out for pictures as we made our way back towards the front of the park so we stopped for a picture. Not sure why he was here and not back in The Simpsons section.

With that we had reached the front of the park again. We stopped for a minute to make sure that we were ready to leave, we were! We were hot, hungry and tired. So with that we left Universal Studios and made our way to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. It is kinda sad but we left the park just after 1pm that day. Did we do everything in the park? No, but we got a good chunk of it done. I think part of our problem was that we were also a little underwhelmed by the Studios. Islands of Adventure had been AWESOME and the Studios just didn't compare. Perhaps we would have felt differently about it if we had visited it first rather than IOA. Don't get me wrong, we liked the Studios just fine, just not as much as we liked Islands of Adventure. Also, our exhaustion probably played a role. We had been on vacation for over a week at that point without a "break day".

 

[SharonK0527]

Another great update! Unfortunately we didn't do ET or the Kids section while we were there. I really wanted to do ET but no one else did so we skipped it. I am definitely doing it next time!! The day we were there, the Simpsons were out right near the front of the park as were Shaggy & Scooby and two of the minions from Despicable Me.

You summed up how we felt exactly - it wasn't that we didn't like US, we were just a little underwhelmed by it and enjoyed IOA much better. We really loved The Simpsons ride and Revenge of the Mummy at US and DH liked HRRR but we had more fun at IOA. We did have fun while we were at US and the next time we visit, we will definitely spend at least 1/2 a day there. I liked the atmosphere and we did enjoy some of the rides very much. I just think on our next trip, IOA will get more of our time.

Looking forward to your next update!

 

[pigby]

One lucky person in the audience gets picked by Ollivander to go through the wand ceremony. Of course it is usually a kid but I have read about adults getting chosen from time to time so don't count yourself out of luck if you don't have a kid in tow! Sadly we weren't lucky enough to get chosen.

I can confirm that this doesnt always hold true - myself and DD (who is also an adult - well 17) got picked out and we have the wand at home to prove it. We joked that Ollivander can spot a 'mug' a mile away (well a 'half mug' anyway) - those things are flippin expensive.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Another great update! Unfortunately we didn't do ET or the Kids section while we were there. I really wanted to do ET but no one else did so we skipped it. I am definitely doing it next time!! The day we were there, the Simpsons were out right near the front of the park as were Shaggy & Scooby and two of the minions from Despicable Me.

You summed up how we felt exactly - it wasn't that we didn't like US, we were just a little underwhelmed by it and enjoyed IOA much better. We really loved The Simpsons ride and Revenge of the Mummy at US and DH liked HRRR but we had more fun at IOA. We did have fun while we were at US and the next time we visit, we will definitely spend at least 1/2 a day there. I liked the atmosphere and we did enjoy some of the rides very much. I just think on our next trip, IOA will get more of our time.

Looking forward to your next update!

The character placement at Universal seems to be fairly random then. You would think the characters would be near their attractions or in the appropriate area but they seem to gather at the front of the park (aside from during the dance party).

I can confirm that this doesnt always hold true - myself and DD (who is also an adult - well 17) got picked out and we have the wand at home to prove it. We joked that Ollivander can spot a 'mug' a mile away (well a 'half mug' anyway) - those things are flippin expensive.

That is very neat that you both got picked! The wands are pricey but it is hard not to buy one if you are a fan, especially if you get chosen for the show!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

May 18th continued

Our stomachs growling we left Universal Studios and made our way over to Hard Rock Cafe. This was my choice for lunch as I absolutely love their Twisted Mac and Cheese.

The restaurant was not busy so they took our picture (which we ended up buying) and were promptly seated.

We ordered our meals and then they came by to show us the picture they had taken. In the picture Mom was holding the guitar and looked so happy that I just had to buy it. It wasn't a very good picture of me but it was an awesome photo of Mom.

Erich ordered the Twisted Mac and Cheese and Chicken Entree. DELICIOUS!

Alek's lunch, not sure what it is, sorry!

My meal. I ordered two side dishes. A side of the Twisted Mac and Cheese and a side of the White Cheddar Smashed Potatoes. Very filling and delicious and cheaper than ordering the Mac and Cheese as an entree like Erich had.

I think Mom may have also ordered the Mac and Cheese.

Our lunch was delicious and filling and helped rejuvenate us.

We decided to check out the main Universal Gift Shop in City Walk before leaving. They had a bunch of Harry Potter stuff there, some of which I didn't remember seeing in the Wizarding World the day before. The store was basically deserted so we were able to browse at our leisure.

I was so tempted by these Triwizard Cups but I resisted!

I ended up buying the Ravenclaw shirt, a Hogwarts mug and a wand. The wand I had seen the day before and I finally gave into the temptation and bought it. I got the replica of Hermione's wand, it was the only pretty one in my opinion other than one of the original wands that they only sell at Ollivander's in the Wizarding World.

Having once again spend more money than I should have we left Universal. This was it for our Universal time on the trip. We really loved it and will definitely go back at some point in the future.

Since it was still very early in the day and since we were out and about already we decided to make a trip to the Florida Mall.

On the way traffic was stopped to let this family cross the road.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Once at the mall we split up and arranged to meet at the M&M store. Mom and I went off to do our own shopping while Alek and Erich went to wander the mall and see what there was as they had never been there before.

Mom and I ended up beating them to M&M World which is an oddity, usually they complain about how long it takes for us to shop.

There were some M&M mascots outside the store dancing to music and posing for pictures.

The green M&M is my favourite, she is sassy!

I took the test to see what colour M&M I am.

Look at all the pretty colours!

I bought a bunch of M&M's, couldn't resist all the pretty colours!

Once Alek and Erich finally showed up we left the mall and made our way to our next stop, The World's Largest and Most Unique McDonald's! We weren't planning on eating there but it was on the same road as the mall so we decided to check it out.

They have their regular menu and then the Bistro Gourmet menu

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Having checked out the McDonald's we piled back in the car and started our drive back "home".

We decided to pick up some Papa John's for dinner before heading back to the resort for the night.

A picture of the random cows grazing outside of WDW near Bronson. We saw this several times throughout the trip and always laughed. It just seemed so off to have a field with grazing cows in the middle of Orlando.

The guy at Papa John's was really friendly and we had a good conversation with him. I am pretty sure he cut us a deal on our pizza for having once lived in Virginia as the price he rang up did not match up with the advertised price. No complaining here!

Pizza in hand we drove back to Coronado Springs.

We chowed down on pizza while watching tv, probably Harry Potter since it was on nonstop the last part of the vacation.

We then spent the late afternoon swimming and doing laundry. We went down to the Quiet Pool since it was right next to the laundry room.

That night we just relaxed in the room watching Jurassic Park as it was on tv. Very appropriate too since we had just visited Universal!

The enormous bag of M&M's I bought that day.

The wand I bought

We ate the Rock Cake I had bought the day before from Honeyduke's.

Erich's new keychain

It was an early night for us, we were all so tired having been on the go for over a week. Our next day was going to be nice and relaxing. A day at Typhoon Lagoon and dinner at Medieval Times. A much needed R&R day.

That is the end of the Universal portion of the trip. If you would like to read about the rest of our vacation you can find the rest of my trip report here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2730760

 

[SharonK0527]

Another great update!! I am following along on the other thread as well Loved the photos from that McDonald's! That looked really cool! Will have to go there next time we're in Orlando. Also loved the pictures from the M&M store. The yellow one is my favorite

Can't wait to hear about your trip to Medieval Times. I used to work at the Medieval Times in Schaumburg, IL about 20 years ago. I took my family to the show there in 2009 when we went home for a visit and they loved it! I'm sure Erich and Alek had a blast at a place like that, being the big kids that they are

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Another great update!! I am following along on the other thread as well Loved the photos from that McDonald's! That looked really cool! Will have to go there next time we're in Orlando. Also loved the pictures from the M&M store. The yellow one is my favorite

Can't wait to hear about your trip to Medieval Times. I used to work at the Medieval Times in Schaumburg, IL about 20 years ago. I took my family to the show there in 2009 when we went home for a visit and they loved it! I'm sure Erich and Alek had a blast at a place like that, being the big kids that they are

Very cool that you worked at a Medieval Times! We had been wanting to go to one for years and we finally got around to it since we had two weeks of vacation to fill up. There is one nearby in Toronto but I have not heard good things about that one.

 

[vleeth]

Very helpful trip report....thanks!!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Very helpful trip report....thanks!!!

I'm glad you found it useful.

 

[Bradleyv1714]

Thank you for the pictures they were amazing! Love the food pictures making me VERY hungry. lol! I have never been to that McDonald's but wow that is HUGE!!!