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Day 4 - July 25
Today was our non-Disney day. We had purchased passes for our trip back in February and never used them so we decided to go to this park today. We're
coming back down at least two more times this year and probably again in February before our AP's expire, so I'm OK sacrificing one day at Disney.
Plus I really enjoy this park.
Here, though, things didn't go quite as smoothly as they had the previous three days.
It started off just fine, everyone was on time and we all got to IOA with no mishaps or wrong turns. We decided to do preferred parking and made our
way into the park. Kim and Lisa and Nicole all had to purchase passes so they took care of that. In the meantime we saw the option to purchase the
express pass ticket which allows you to use the Express line once for every ride, at any time. This was our very first mistake of the day! I had
heard it was about $20 so I was ok with that?when we got to the front of the line we were told it's $37.50! I was ready to back out, but Cora and
Jen still wanted to do it so we did. What a waste! In hindsight we never needed this. We could have used our park passes and worked it as we did FP
at Disney, but, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. I think we only actually used it twice.
Anyway, on with our day. Kim had stated that she felt much better today, wasn't taking her medication and was ready for a good day. Well within
minutes she again didn't feel good, and actually felt numb from her waste down. But, rather then go back to the hotel she decided to rent an ECV.
Ordinarily I would say this was a great idea however, I was a tad bit worried, because I've driven in a car with Kim, and was beginning to worry
about the pedestrians around us! Oh well we'll give it a try?
Since we had these Express pass tickets, we decided we'd just take our time. We decided to eat some breakfast and get some coffee (I am a caffeine
junky and operate much better after at least three cups). It was only about 8:45 and we didn't even think the park was open, although people were
walking all over the place and there didn't appear to be any lines. Since we didn't get into IOA until after 9, I'm not all that sure what was up.
Maybe it opened earlier today?
After breakfast we walked over to the Hulk and since the Express Pass line wasn't open until 10 we instead walked on Storm Force Acceletron, which is
just like the Tea Cups in the Magic Kingdom. Lisa S. and Kim sat this out. (Kim actually sat out all the rides today, which was smart considering her
situation). We then walked over to Dr. Doom's Fearfall and since there was no wait, decided to do that next. Kim waited for us by the exit of the ride.
Jen and Cora are terrified of heights and that stomach dropping feeling freaks me out but we all love this sort of stuff But we were all a little
nervous. After Jen and Cora removed their sandals, we hopped on, strapped ourselves in and we were off! Jen and Cora screamed their heads off, to the
amusement of many people, but it wasn't as scary as I remembered it from last year. Tower of Terror has it beat by miles! But I did enjoy it all the same.
After this we decided to walk over to Spiderman, which happens to be my favorite ride. The stand-by line was already 30 minutes so we decided to
change our plan of action and go in the opposite direction, starting with Seuss Landing.
We were a little more disorganized today; I'm not all that familiar with all the rides and attractions here so there was no set itinerary or plan,
prior to arriving. It worked out pretty well, for the most part.
Once in Seuss Landing, we walked on Cat in the Hat. This was a first for all of us and it was really cute. Somewhere along the lines of Winnie the
Pooh type ride but you really get spun around. The first one was a doozy because we were not expecting it and it sent us into fits of giggles for
the rest of the ride. We met up with Kim at the exit, and took some pictures as we strolled through. This is such great theming, so colorful
and vibrant. (In my opinion, nowhere near Disney caliber, but it's a different park altogether I think, from all the Disney parks, and I enjoy
it differently than I do WDW). The Grinch was out, so we all got our pictures taken with him very amusing character!
Unfortunately I don't remember the details as clearly here, but I'll do my best!
I don't think we did anything else here so we moved onto the Lost Continent. We did Poseidon's Fury first. We'd seen this show last year,
and it was the same, not great, not bad. Enjoyable. And it was great because Kim could join us through this. After PF, we went on to Dueling Dragons.
I realize this roller coaster is hyped up pretty high. We'd ridden Ice last year, and it just didn't cut it for me. I was disappointed. So we were
going to ride Fire this year, but it was down when we got there. So we used our Express pass, but got another one with our park pass so we had two just
in case Fire came back up (You can only use the purchase Express Pass once per ride). We waited in line and it took about 15 minutes. Jen wanted to
sit in the back so three of them sat in the last row, while Lisa S and I sat in the second to last row.
My arms were up and I was ready to go! Off we went pffffttt. Again, utter disappointment. Other than the gravity trying to pull my arms down, there
was no thrill, no rush nothing. After we got off I asked everyone else, and Jen felt the same, Cora felt dizzy, and Nicole and Lisa thought it was ok.
We walked off, pretty much bummed. We decided to see The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad, and thought that was pretty lame too. WDW definitely has nothing to
fear as far as show competition!
After Sinbad, we decided to give the Dragons another shot, but from the front seat. This time Fire was open. And only Jen, Nicole and I went on
this time. So to the front of the line we went. I have to admit my expectations were pretty low, but in the past, I've always enjoyed the
front seat experience far better than any other seat, so I was hoping things were going to look up.
As we started off I was pretty excited, and had my arms up. About twenty seconds or so into it, the track seemed to disappear in front of us and I
held on the rest of the way! As we looped up and backwards and came back down, we looked ahead and it was the car from the other track heading
directly towards us. I'm sure the fear we felt was mirrored in the expressions of all their faces! What a true thrill! We'd known that the
tracks come close during an inversion, but the experience truly beats anything you would read about this! We headed directly towards each other
and seemingly at the last moment swooped up into the sky and backwards, upside down and crazy loops the rest of the way!! So my belief in this ride
was restored and I can't wait to do it again but ONLY from the front row.
A note about the special Express pass we purchased. It states you cannot use it for front of the line, but they checked our passes (and take them if
you used your park pass) before we even got near the front of the line so we had no problem hitting the front seat line).
After this we were definitely excited?and hungry! So we went to the Enchanted Oak Tavern for lunch. We all got ribs and/or chicken with
corn the meats were pretty good but the corn was a little soggy for my tastes. I'm kind of a corn snob so I'm a picky corn on the cob eater. Jen,
on the other hand, wanted nachos and there was a nacho stand near where we'd entered the Lost Continent so she met us in the dining room. She said
the nachos were good, but she likes the nachos in Mexico in Epcot better. (Me too!)
After lunch we continued to head in a counter clockwise direction, towards Jurassic Park. On our way we passed the Flying Unicorn (I think that's what
it is called) and Jen, Cora and Nicole decided to hop on, using their Express Passes. They said it saved them a bit of a wait, so I guess that's
good. This is a little roller coaster no spins or corkscrews or anything, but they all really enjoyed it. Lisa and I waited at the bottom and I got a
couple good pix of them on this ride. Towards the end Cora tried to put her hands up and winded up scaring herself and screamed, making all of us
waiting laugh. She was able to put her hands up, just as the ride ended?
On to Jurassic Park. At this point, we were waiting for Kim, who had met up with a friend of hers from Orlando during the Sinbad show. Apparently,
after lunch, she realized she had lost the key to the ECV, and since she wasn't alone, she told us to go on ahead, they'd catch up. We tried
calling, to no avail; no cell service or something I guess. We were a little frustrated because at this time, this park was getting quite crowded.
We decided to continue to walk on slowly, periodically trying to call. As we turned around, lo and behold, there they were! Again, good timing!
We decided to hit Jurassic Park River Adventure first. We'd come here today prepared to get wet, so we weren't worried. And on this ride, we really
didn't need to be, we hardly got wet at all. Just a few splashes But it seems as if some of the Pixie Dust from WDW followed us here. There was
quite a wait, I'd say about 75 minutes I think; and we were planning on using our Express Passes. As we strode out of the locker area an employee
came strolling over to us and was saying something we couldn't make out so we turned around. Here, she wanted to see Cora's tattoo. (Sometimes Cora
gets a little uncomfortable about getting attention because of her tattoos she got them in her younger years and is even getting one of them
removed, apparently a very painful process!) So she was a little reluctant, but Jen blurted out, "Will it get us good seats?" The girl
looked at us, and said that if it was only a couple, maybe so Jen stated that there were only 5 of us and the girl shrugged, said that five is a
good number, as that is how many sit in a row, and proceeded to lead up behind some buildings and we wound up at the front of the line and into the
boat that had just arrived!! Sweet!
After we exited this ride, we got our stuff from the lockers. I don't know if they changed this process or not, but last year when we were here, these
were free for the first hour or so I think. Now its $2.00 regardless of how long you use it; so on these rides, either risk getting your things wet,
or pay. Bummer.
We walked out of Jurassic Park and headed into Toon Lagoon. We decided to hit Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls first. Since Kim was with us we asked
her to hold our stuff while we went on this ride. This is the first ride we went on where they actually scanned our Express Pass ticket. We had a very
small wait. This ride is a very quick loading ride they even say hurry up and get in or they'll push you! So in we go, with me in the front of the
car, Jen behind me, then Cora, Lisa and Nicole in the rear. I figured on this ride we were going to get a little more wet than the previous ride, as
Lisa and I are on the "larger" side and in flume rides more weight tends to increase how much water comes in?
I was a little nervous on this as I have longer legs and there was really nowhere for them to go and nothing for me to brace myself against, being in
the front. The car we were in comes to a "V" in the front so I couldn't extend my legs anywhere, and the sides were to wide for my knees to be
braced against. I grasped the handle on the inside of the ride, but ended up just pushing against the front. Away we went!
This was a pretty enjoyable ride, as water rides go. As we dove down the "Falls" we saw Kim and waved and when we hit Talk about WET. Water came up
over the sides, over our heads it was EVERYWHERE!! We were laughing and trying to see, and just as we could see the lovely people watching decided
we weren't wet enough and proceeded to spray us. We didn't know about this and it caught us quite unawares, which gave everyone watching quite a
laugh! We looked like we just stepped out of the shower, fully clothed!
We caught up with Kim and Dawn and decided to grab a beer while we sat in the sun and attempted to dry off a bit. I spread my wallet and money out
because they were all soaked. Kim and Lisa got some Dots (those frozen ice cream things), as well, and we walked around and snapped some pictures of
Marmaduke. This is pretty cool. It's a cartoon frame with Marmaduke running towards the sky, with the rope hanging below him. It's vertical as opposed
to horizontal and if you put your feet behind the cloud on the ground, and take the picture, when you turn the picture horizontally, it looks as if
Marmaduke is dragging you behind him. Cora, Jen and Nicole all posed and they are really neat pictures!
Since Jen and I had done Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges the last time we were here, and we were over being wet, we passed on this and headed
towards Marvel Super Hero Island.
Here we planned to ride Spider-Man and the Hulk and then head on out. We used our Express Pass for Spider-Man and were on the ride in about 10
minutes. Something else I forgot to mention about the Express Pass at Universal, compared to Fast Pass Towards the front of the line, the Express
line merges with the regular line, with not too much organization. I'd imagine, from time to time, this would make some people angry, if their
waiting for over an hour for a ride and people just hop in right in front of them. I much prefer the two separate lines all the way to the front.
Back to Spider-Man I so enjoy this ride, and this time was no disappointment, for any of us. It was just as thrilling and exciting and
exhilarating as the first time we rode it. The special effects are amazing, particularly where it feels as if you are falling from the top of
a skyscraper! I could ride this over and over?
It was about 4pm when we exited the ride, and we were all pretty beat, so we decided to skip the Hulk and head back to POR to rest
for an hour before heading down to DTD to do some more shopping and grab dinner. Lisa and Nicole were heading south to West Palm
so they stayed and rode the Hulk before leaving. On our way out, we stopped and got some beverages for the walk to the car, not realizing
in about 100 yards, we'd have to guzzle them or throw them out! Oh well we guzzled . I have yet to have drinks or explore the shops
and bars at City Walk. This is the fourth time we've been here where that just has not panned out. Oh well, hopefully next time.
We got into our car and headed back to POR with no problems, making a stop at the general store for a six-pack of Miller Lite to sip while we relaxed.
Kim went and laid down for the time we were there while Jen, Cora and I sat in the parking lot (they were smoking) and we recapped the day. It was a
very nice way to spend the hour or so, just relaxed. After that, we all showered and we headed down to grab the boat to DTD.
During the ride, we decided we'd try to get seated at Captain Jacks, once we arrived. Upon docking, we walked over to Captain Jacks where a very nice
CM told us there was only about a 30-minute wait. She gave us a slip of paper and told us to come back in 20 minutes. To kill the time we sat at a
table by the water, enjoying margaritas and the breeze. After our 20 minutes were up, we walked back to Captain Jacks and were seated within
minutes.
After being seated, but before ordering there was an unfortunate incident where a young girl passing by our table, proceeded to?not make it to the
bathroom in time, as she was not feeling all that well. Ew? No fuss was made and the girl was reassured all was ok, as they got her parents from a
nearby table and cleaned everything up. Not very appetizing! Oh well? we apparently got over it as we ordered soup, entrée and coffee. The food
here was excellent. I got pasta with shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat and also a lobster tail on the side in a lobster cream sauce. Wow! Jen and Cora
each got NE Clam Chowder and the Crab Cake trio, which was an appetizer that they got as their Entrée and consisted of three crab cakes, all
seasoned differently. They truly enjoyed one, liked the second and didn't care as much for the third. This appetizer is pretty big and was
definitely enough for a meal, or to be shared among two or three as an appetizer. I can't remember what Kim ordered.
After dinner, we were thoroughly full, but still had some shopping to do. First stop was World of Disney where we purchased some souvenirs for
friends at home who were watching our dog Jake. I recently painted my bedroom and am going to decorate it with Disney art and Jen and I have been
buying some different Disney frames during our last three trips, so today, we bought another. Kim bought some shirts for friends who are watching
her dog, and then we were on to the next shop?Team Mickey.
Cora is trying to find a fitted baseball hat with the "M" on it. I thought I'd seen something like that here in February, but we couldn't find
anything in any of the shops. We browsed through the new pet area in the back of the Winnie the Pooh shop and I was a little disappointed in the
choices. Nothing stood out so we moved on to the candy store that is next to what is now Earl of Sandwich. Jen and I cannot make a trip to Disney
without purchasing their Rice Krispies Treats. They are wonderful! And they'd make a great snack on the plane the next day. And our final
destination, as everyone was very tired, was the art store there. Kim was looking to buy an animation cell, but being tired and not feeling well I
think put a damper on her shopping spirit so she didn't make any purchases. Jen and I are also looking for a picture with Ariel but didn't find
anything we liked either.
So, now, back to the boat for the ride back to POR. Jen dozed on the ride back and when we got back to the room I packed up the rest of our stuff,
while she crashed into bed, and we made sure Kim and Cora knew we had to leave at 3:45 AM!!! Our flight was at 6:45 out of Sanford the next morning
and I wanted to make sure we got back and returned the rental car with no problems.
Day 5 - July 26 - on our way home
We got up and left with no issues and made it to Sanford by 4:45, stopping to get gas and coffee along the way.
We returned the car to Dollar, and here we had a small issue?when I'd picked the car up I had told the girl we'd be returning it before they
opened and she informed me to drop the keys in the Express return box. Well, we looked around for about 15 minutes, even wandering through the
inside, which strangely enough, was open, but could not find any box and there was no one around to ask. There was another car also there so we
looked inside and the keys were there so we just left our keys as well? I was a little nervous about this but there was really no other choice. (It
turned out fine, as the charge appeared on my credit card and was exactly what I'd been quoted). We checked in, checked our bags and were on our way
home in no time, arriving a little early in Allentown, PA.
Jen, Cora and Kim got our bags, while I took the shuttle to get our car and we met up outside and made it home to Reading, PA by 10:30am.
Now Jen and I are looking forward to planning (hopefully with Laurie's help!) our next trip in October or November!
Since I finished writing this we just booked our plane fare for October 21-26 and will probably split our stay between Pop Century and the Beach Club, but we need to talk it over a little more!
In looking back over our past few trips, we've enjoyed each one immensly. I think, though, that we really tend to enjoy the trips where we go alone,
just the two of us. This was a slightly stressful trip, in that it was so short, and in that short expanse of time, all the problems that Kim
experienced. Not that she could help it or anything, but it turns out she really could have hurt herself further, making a trip like this in pain.
(It turns out she has a broken vertebrae).
So far, we've only booked two seats on the plane, and are waiting to hear from Jen's sister to see if she is going to join us in October.
Part 1, 2, 3, 4
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