And waking up at 9am. I had intended to get up at 8, because I was supposed to go to Universal Studios today and spend some time in the parks with Rosie. Oh, well, after all, I was on vacation. I had some breakfast in my room, showered and dressed, and was getting ready to call Rosie when she called me. We set up a meeting time and place, and I headed out.
The thunderstorm had past, but the sky was still overcast. Still, I took my sunblock along with me as a precaution. I stopped at Walgreens on the way to Universal to pick up the 11 rolls of pictures from the Clubhouse cruise, which I had dropped off the day before (and drop off two more). I didn't bother looking at them right away, but I figured Rosie would want to see them. I drove to Universal via Turkey Lake Road, which is a fairly small road with little traffic and only a few signals; it runs parallel to I-4 most of the way to Universal and is a great alternative route, especially for those who don't like driving on Interstates, or when I-4 is backed up due to rush hour or an accident. It took me just under 30 minutes to get there. Rosie did call me on the way to say she was running late; no problem for me, because I had been reaching for the phone to call her and tell her I was running late. The line at Walgreens took a while to get through.
I met Rosie and her two older kids, Matthew and David, at the entrance to Islands of Adventure. The plan was for the four of us to tour around a little, waiting for another friend to show up; Bob Eisller, known in the Clubhouse as Bobbler, was to join us that day. Bob lives in Orlando and is a regular weekend visitor to the Universal parks. But first things first: I was somehow hungry already, and I also wanted to give Rosie a chance to look through my pictures (and look through them myself), so we found a little bakery in the Port of Entry and got a snack. The boys seemed a little eager to be off riding rides, but I was hungry and Rosie did want to look at the pictures, so we spent about a half-hour eating and paging through the 11 rolls.
Right up until the point where I realized my camera was missing! That's right, my $600 ($250 for the body, $200 for the lens, $100 for the flash and about $35 for the battery pack) Canon was nowhere to be found. Mentally, I searched for it, nearly frantic. No, no, no... YES! Last time I had it was sitting in the bakery looking at photos!
When we got off the ride, I told Rosie about it, and that I was sure I had left it hanging on the back of my chair at the bakery. We all started back for it, but Matthew ran ahead, being an energetic teen. I nearly ran for it myself, but the old mental scales of justice were working overtime: Hmmm, $600 camera, early death from massive coronary... tough decision! My sense of self-preservation won out over my materialism, and I walked instead of running.
But I walked VERY fast.
When we arrived at the bakery, Matthew had already gotten there and looked at out table; the camera wasn't there, but he had also asked the bakery staff, and one of them had found the camera and taken it into the back for eventual delivery to the park's lost-and-found department. She brought it out to me, and I thanked her and Matthew profusely. I've had that camera for over three years, taken it on 4 Disney trips (counting this one) and dozens of family and friend gatherings, and this was the first time I had ever left it behind. I felt like an imbecile, but I guess everybody is entitled to a Bonehead Maneuver once in a while.
After the Hulk, we went for Dr. Doom's Fear Fall. That is to say, Rosie and the boys rode the ride while I waited below. I am a reformed Coaster Chicken, but I my greatest phobias, besides spiders and insects, are rides that let your feet dangle in mid-air, and rides with free-fall (zero-g). Hence, Dr. Doom's Fear Fall is on my Snowball's List, i.e. you will NEVER get me on that ride without serious monetary inducement. I did snap a couple of pictures of Rosie and her boys with her camera, though.
Next up was Spider-Man, possibly the best ride in either Universal park. Our trip through the streets of New York with Webhead, however, was marred by technical difficulties, as none of the video screens worked when we passed them, and we even stopped dead a couple of times, totally ruining the effect. After we got off, though, we approached a staff member and told him what happened, and he took our entire car back to the boarding area to ride again. The second ride worked almost perfectly, and our faith in Spidey was restored.
Somehow, I was hungry again. I was surprised that, after the huge piece of chocolate cake I had eaten in the bakery that morning, I was ready for lunch so soon, but there it was. Bob had been talking earlier about Thunderfalls Terrace, one of the eateries in Jurassic Park, so I asked if everybody else was ready for lunch, too, and we all made our way there. Thunderfalls Terrace got it's name because of it's location, directly across from the last big, wet, steep drop of the Jurassic Park River Adventure. It's a cafeteria-style eatery, wherein you get to eat from real plates with real metal utensils, a vast improvement over most counter-service restaurants in the various theme parks. I went for a rotisserie chicken platter with roasted red potatoes, and found the portions very large for the price, and the quality of the food excellent. I would rate the food every bit as good as a pricey sit-down restaurant at Universal or Disney.
While we were eating, the overcast thickened and eventually opened up with a very heavy rainstorm. There was no thunder, and no wind, so the rain came straight down, but so heavy it looked like a thick fog bank had descended over the park. The eatery, which had been only 1/3 full when we arrived, filled up quickly with park guests trying to get out of the rain.
We continued our circuit of the park, coming back once more to Marvel Superhero Island, where Rosie and David got back on the Hulk for another ride. My neck was a little sore from Fire, so I decided to sit this one out with Bob, and Matthew joined us. While waiting for Rosie and David, I got my stuff out of the locker.
We all went up to Rosie's room to sit around and talk for a while. Bob got a chance to look through the cruise pictures, and Rosie got a call from Mike Kaye. Mike showed up a little while later, and we all decided to go to USF. The boys stayed behind; David went swimming, and Matthew hung out in the room to wait for him.
When we got to USF, I dropped my stuff off in a locker at the front of the park. It was drizzling again, lightly but steadily, and I didn't want to get my camera wet. The first thing we did was go in to see T2:3D, which is my favorite attraction in either Universal park. I'm a big sci-fi fan, and a fan of Jim Cameron movies, and T2 in particular, so T2:3D is a real treat for me. I saw T2 five times when it was released, a personal best for me, and I've seen it a dozen more times on cable, VHS and DVD. I've also been to T2:3D at least twice on every Universal trip since it opened; the detail, the effects, and the great film sequences with Arnold Schwartzeneggar, Linda Hamilton, Eddie Furlong, and Robert Patrick all come together to truly immerse you in this fictional world. If you're a real fan of the Terminator movies, then T2:3D alone is worth the price of admission to Universal Studios.
Then we were off to ride ET, as Mike had never ridden it before (he enjoyed it). I have always loved ET, but I think I agree with Bob that the queue area is the best part of the whole ride. ET is another immersive experience, taking you from the humidity of central Florida to the quiet forests of northern California just by walking through a door.
After ET it was getting close to the park's 8pm closing time, but we still had a few minutes, so we strolled through the Lucille Ball tribute near the front of the park. I grew up watching Lucy on her various TV shows and movies, and to me there is nobody who can compare to her in sheer zaniness. She was a true original, and probably my favorite comic ever. I like to walk through the Lucy tribute for at least a minute or two whenever I'm in USF.
Finally, it was park closing time, and the people were all making a beeline for the exits. I stopped to get my stuff out of the locker, and Bob and I walked out to the parking garage together, while Mike and Rosie went back to HRH, since Mike had parked there.
The crowds leaving the park at closing time were surprisingly light; I was out of the gigantic Universal parking structure and on my way south on Turkey Lake Road pretty quickly. I made a detour back to Walgreens to pick up the two rolls of film I had dropped off this morning, and then continued south until I got to Route 192. My destination was Old Town, a shopping complex not far from World Drive.
I was a little tired, but I like walking around Old Town at night. There is a theme park atmosphere to the place, simpler than WDW, to be sure, but festive and cheerful nonetheless. I looked in a few of the many stores, which sell mostly tourist kitsch, and some pretty nice stuff, until my eyes hit upon a store called the International Space Station. Drawn by the name, and the space-themed models in the window, I went in.
I was mesmerized! I've always been a fan of the U.S. space program, and this place was like a shrine to it. T-shirts, hats, models, toys, posters, post-cards, and all sorts of memorabilia were for sale here, including one of the most detailed models of the space shuttle I've ever seen ($250). I wandered around looking at stuff for a good half-hour, chatting with the owner of the shop (even giving him a little camera advice), and wound up spending about $60.
No, I didn't buy the $250 shuttle. But I was tempted.
It wasn't very late, but I was ready to call it a night, so after one last round of the space store, I collapsed back into my rental Gallant and headed back to the Swan, where I could hear Fantasmic finishing up from the parking lot. I wound up the day with a little reading and a little TV before going to bed at about 11pm.
Walk Miles: 7.7