Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, a review........

The Monday of the second week we finally got around to going to Universal Islands of Adventure.   The Harry Potter ride was on my radar, but apart from that had no real expectations.  Boy oh boy what a treat!   This turned out to be one of THE best ever days on this trip.   And this was agreed by all of us.   We also chose to go back on the Thursday, the day before we left for home, so we really got the best out of it.

The park itself is very manageable, and only has 7 “lands”.  We headed straight to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride.  The Floridian kids were back to school this last week of August and queues were no longer than 20mins.  Having said that, they do have a child swap room, to make life easier, so 1 parent stays with the young one/s, and then walks straight on the ride when the first parent comes off.  They were in fact playing the 1st  Harry Potter film in the Child Swap room, with gory bits deleted in case of very young ones.  Scarlett was a little star the whole trip, and patiently sat out rides whilst the three of us took our turns.   They also have a single rider queue by the way, as most of them do, and they don’t seem to mind if groups go together, as long as they understand that they will be split up when they get to the front.

Hogwarts School

Enjoying a family Butterbeer

I absolutely adored this ride.  I actually squealed when it felt I was flying high above the Quidditch pitch!!!!  However, Chris wasn’t a fan, and neither was Jasper.  We’ve worked out now that Jasper doesn’t like anything in the dark, and Chris is a purest Coaster boy… doesn’t like jerky.   For me it was the visuals that did it, and if you relax and go with it am sure you’ll love it too.  Actually, I can’t swear that you will love it, but having ridden it around 7 times over 2 days, I loved it so much.  (Do let me know)! 

The whole Harry Potter area in itself was something to behold.   The Hogwarts Express was there of course, as well as the conductor, the train station next door, and rising spectacularly up in front of you, amidst the blue sky and fluffy clouds, is Hogwarts itself.  All the little shops mentioned in the books and films are there too, and you can buy Butter Beer of course!   What’s not to love?  It really was magical.   Within the area are some other rides too, a tamer coaster for younger ones called Flight of the Hippogriff, and another double coaster called Dragon Challenge.   You have to ride both of them as they are both separate in themselves.

Dragon Challenge

There was something for everybody here, and I was particularly pleased that Jasper got his big-ride-mojo back and rode Hulk in Marvel Super Hero Island.  He went on with Chris first and then dragged me on.  Thinking it was just another coaster it has some wicked surprises, I loved it too, best coaster ever (though Seaworld’s Manta up there too hmmmm).  The Amazing Adventure of Spider-Man was a great ride/simulator for all of us too.   Scarlett was a bit wary, but loved it.

For Scarlett herself (5yo), there was Seuss landing, perfectly designed for her age group (though I confess to loving the Cat in the Hat ride too).  Although our children weren’t really brought up with Dr Seuss, the area is really fun, like you are actually walking through a children’s book, with fun rides, a high up train around the area and also a carousel.

If water rides are your thing then head to Toon Lagoon.  Jurassic Park has a cute, soar through the air over the park *thing*, but it’s an 80 second ride and probably didn’t warrant the 20 min wait. 

No Queues

Just a fantastic park, if we were booking to go back (here’s hoping in a few years) visiting this park would make us all very excited.  If you are in the area it is a must see, for at least 1 day!

Annie x

Florida, Seaworld's Aquatica, a review.............

After the second morning at Seaworld, we got the bus over to their Sister waterpark Aquatica.  That way you only pay 1 parking fee!

It was fabulous.  More wave machines, but there were downtimes too.   Unfortunately I'd run my battery down taking pics at Seaworld (Shamu Show part 2), but it also had some great rides and features, and also the free life preservers.

One thrill was anything but a lazy river, Roas Rapids.  The artificial current propels you all around the park.  Whilst it was fab, I went with Scarlett, in a life vest, but I was still concerned when she went a head of me.  Of course she loved it, she has been quite the thrill seeker this trip!

As it comes with your ticket it's well worth using on a blistering hot day.   It hit 91 the afternoon we were there.

We only did 2 water parks, this and Typhoon Lagoon, which was part of Disney.   Both were excellent but at a push I'd say the the Typhoon Lagoon felt a little dated in comparison.  Having said that, it was the only park we visited that didn't ask for a parking fee, so maybe they bear that in mind?

Annie x

Florida, shopping, a review.............

Well I'm not a great shopper, a day's shopping would  normally fill me with dread.  However, we were told by many that we had to go shop at the Premium Outlet Centre/s (there are 2, 1 at either end of International Drive).

They weren't wrong, my indulged in some Converse, Timberland and Vans, of course.  BIG TIP!!!!   After we had bought our Timberland, at the information centre in the Food Court, we found discount cards for 15% off!   I was all set for taking our bits back, and re-buying with the coupon, however Chris thought it would be wrong.

I've since found out that they would have been fine about it, and almost expect it.  Hmmmmm, I may keep the receipt (not really, not that sad, but we would have saved around $25)!

We only brought 2 big bags and 2 smaller bags for the kids.  Never time it will be 4 big bags to leave space for such goods!

Have fun!
Annie x

Florida Kennedy Space Centre - a review......

Scarlett had her Princess day at the Magic Kingdom, booked from the UK, and today was Jasper's treat, lunch with an Astronaut at NASA - Kennedy Space Centre.   It was a surprise for him and he was very, very excited.

We started in the Rocket Garden, and managed to grab a walking tour around it, with a very knowledgeable guide.   Whilst I was very interested in everything that we saw, it became ever more evident to me that I have no desire to go into space.   Spending weeks in a capsule, side by side with another person, having to do bodily functions in a space suit, erm no thanks.   My claustrophobia alone wouldn't cope with it.  But hats off to the boys and girls who do!

And talking of girls, Jasper hated the sign below that I kept quoting to him!  Ahem, #girlpower

We then headed over to see a film all about The International Space Station.   It was absolutely fascinating what they have done up there.   It was narrated by Tom Cruise, which seemed fitting (no idea why), but we all really enjoyed it.

After that, Chris and Jasper went off to have their lunch with John Creighton, their astronaut for the day.   He said it was absolutely brilliant, fantastic food and a fascinating chat.   Of course one kid asked about the ablutions etc.  It involves vacuumed space and stuff.   The liquid stuff gets let out into space, the other stays in there for someone to clear out at a later date.   Anyway......... Whilst the boys were being enlightened about such stuff, Scarlett and I went to the soft play they have.   It is all space ship type climbing stuff and slides, not very big, but big enough to entertain Scarlett for half an hour or so.

We experienced a space shuttle launch, which made Scarlett laugh watching my face!!!!   And plenty of opportunity to get up close and personal with the shuttles and exhibits showing the Apollo series etc. It really is fascinating, and I didn't think I was going to get as much out of it as I did.

There are busses leaving every 15 minutes to take you around the rest of the place, which is also home to lots of wild birds and animals?  We saw the launch pad, which was very exciting, and you are taken to another exhibition centre with lots more rockets and shuttles to see.   Truly breathtaking!    It wasn't until here that we saw any reference to man landing on the moon, phew!   Even the Fodor book we were using as a guide didn't mention it?   Anyhoo, it was a really good day out.   We got to do everything we wanted to do, but could have done more.

Your ticket also gets you into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.  It is just a short way further down the road, but we'd run out of time.   Will have to go back another time.

Well worth a day out.   Even just for the NASA fleece, T-Shirts and space ice-cream, as you do!
Annie x

Florida, Disney's Magic Kingdom, a review...............

Ok, this probably sounds bad, but having been to EuroDisney in Paris we quickly realised that it was a carbon copy of the original Magic Kingdom.   This was however very helpful as we already had an idea as to how to tackle it.  

It is fairly easy to navigate around the different "lands", and the maps, as always, are an excellent source of information - as they should be!

Just a reminder though, where they say 3D over here, you might want to prepare you little ones that they actually mean 4D, so you will get more special effects, like smoke and water etc.

We headed straight for Tomorrowland, and fast passes for Space Mountain.  We then headed for Buzz Lightyear's ride, a fun time zapping at targets.  We also did Stich's Great Espace, a kind of 4D theatre show/ride, Monsters Inc laugh show, with much audience participation, and then the Astro Orbiter.

#Lighbulb moment - it has just occurred to me that they didn't have representation of a lot of the Disney Pixar movies, nothing here for Cars, only the Buzz ride, unlike Paris where they have whole areas dedicated to Cars and Toy Story, which my children thought were fabulous! I wonder if keeping it purest to original Disney characters works better for the American market?   Just a thought!

Anyhoo, heading back to Space Mountain at our designated times, I have to say that I was very disappointed.  The ride was in the dark and jerky, and frankly seemed dated.  Glad I've done it, but not a huge fan in the wake of Manta, Everest and Hulk etc.  Jasper also loved Speedway as he got to drive mummy around in a hotrod, whilst Scarlett drove daddy :)

After that, my lovely cousin from Burnley took Jasper for me, whilst we headed to our pre-booked package to make Scarlett a princess, details here!

I have to say it was just wonderful, and I cried reading out her invitation (yes I'm that soppy).  To be honest this was my favourite part of the day.   As we finished we came out to see Merida (from Brave), and Scarlett was very excited to be meeting her.   Just perfect.

Of course there was much much more to do, but we were all done for the day.

You can stay for dinner and fireworks (make dinner reservations way before you go).  However, we didn't feel like we'd missed out and no need to go back.

Two Disney Princesses

Jasper driving mummy in his hot rod!

To be fair, apart from the films themselves, my two weren't really brought up on Disney, so this didn't prove as exciting as some of the other parks over here, though we did have a fabulous time.
Annie x

Florida, Disney's Animal Kingdom, a review.........

Thursday we headed over to Disney's Animal Kingdom.  We went straight over to Everest to get fast passes for this epic coaster, then back to do the truck safari.

On route we got the kids up and ready for being Wilderness Explorers (foc), where they go around collecting badges, in exchange for learning about various animals, and countries etc.   Scarlett particularly got into it, and I loved that the Wilderness Explorers themselves were actually in the same uniform as Russell from UP :)

Everest and the Safari (obviously) are in Asia and Africa within the parks, and having travelled to both continents I can say they have got the scenery and surrounds breath-takingly bang on!

The Safari was amazing, and having been to the Serengeti, I can tell you they got that so right too, and much to my amazement we did see lion and cheetah, elephant, rhino, hippos etc.  Really well done, huuuuge enclosures and bumpy roads, just like the real Africa.  (Well not enclosures in Africa but you get my drift)!

Everest Coaster itself was pretty hardcore, having said that my 5yo rode it twice and my 9yo wouldn't!  I went on first with Scarlett and having whizzed around and then stopped at a precarious point, midway, she said "mummy I'm scared", I could only respond with "me too".  Not going to win mum of the year (yet again), but as I said she went straight on again with her father :)

Whilst in Asia we also rode the Kali River Rapids, and got absolutely soaked, but in the heat over here you are dry again within the hour and it is actually quite refreshing.

In Dinoland we saw a magical musical version of Nemo, just fantastic acting and visuals, and in Discovery Island we saw a film of "It's Tough to be a Bug".  Over here what they call 3D we would call 4D, as it is much more than just the visual, expect special effects all around you!   We also saw Festival of the Lion King with sing alongs, acrobatics and audience participation.

As well as meeting Jamaican Kennedy, who lived in Peckham and supported QPR, a top day out!  Oh, and how can I forget, the kids met the *actual* Mickey and Minnie* yayyyy!
Annie x

Florida, Seaworld, a review..................

Wednesday morning we headed over to SeaWorld.   We are big animal lovers and it's an easy park to navigate around.    There are mainly shows to schedule, a couple of rides to get on to, and then other standard exhibitions to have a look around.

Our first problem however was getting in through the door.  Having brought our normal packed lunch, this was the first place we were stopped and couldn't bring in sandwiches.  The snacks around it were OK, but not the sandwiches, so we sat and ate them at the entrance (I know don't say it)!

I have to say that this was however, one of my favourite days out so far.  The shows were spectacular (understatement) and Manta, one of the big rides was fantastic!   Am convinced it's a carbon copy of Air at Alton Towers, think slow and enjoyable flying rather than jerky coaster types!

Shamu the killer whale is one of the big shows, and it was amazing!!!  As was the Dolphin Theatre show, just fantastic (see pics).   Pets ahoy also blew us away, particularly when we learned that all the animals were rescues :)  The Sea Lion and Otter show was very funny, but as much so for the mime warm up act before hand, who basically took the mickey out of anyone coming through looking for a seat - we were dying with laughter and everybody took it in good humour

We didn't manage the Sky Tower due to "inclement weather" but not that bothered, but we did use the helicopter simulator ride which was great, fed some sharks, and saw some other marine animals in the walk through.

We went back another morning to ride Kraken and let Jasper try Manta, which he was unsure of before, and of course he loved it.

 We also went on the Sky Tower.  I was worried as I don't really like the London Eye type things, but it just went up and down, fairly slowly, giving you beautiful views of the whole area. After that we took the bus over to Aquatica for the afternoon.

Fantastic days out, very chilled but thrilling at the same time.

Annie x

Florida, Disney's Epcot - wow - a review Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow!

Who knew that EPCOT was an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.   In my head it was another space centre adventure but oh my, what a great day out and where to start.........

We came on the Tuesday after we arrived.  Having been a full on first few days we decided to have a lazy morning and get there at 12.30pm.   We headed straight to Sourin for the fastpass, but they had already run out for the day!!!   So we will have to go back, that and the Test Track were recommended as the best rides there, and again we couldn't get on to it.  So big note to self, get there early next time and get those two rides fast passed and done.  (See bottom of this blog that has now been updated)!

Having said that, we still had a fabulous time.   We more or less walked straight onto Mission Space a flight simulated space launch.  In flights of 4 you are assigned different roles to take part during the flight.  You can try the Green Team for a milder mission, or the Orange Team for a more hardcore version.   We did Green then Orange, and without spoiling it the G-Force in the Orange launch was unbelievable!   We are definitely going to do it again when we go back.

Aurora or Sleeping Beauty to you and me :)

After that we had a stroll around the world in World Showcase.  There are lots of different restaurants here, and also some rides or videos to watch, showcasing each country.
Mexico  - restaurant looked fab, and some good merchandise.  You can also take a tame boat ride discovering the sites of Mexico (Disney style) *winks*
Norway - a pretty hardcore ride hear showcasing the Vikings, Jasper didn't enjoy it, but he'd been learning about the Vikings at school which is what had frightened him most!
China - a very interesting 14 minute film about China (Disney Style ;) and several restaurants
Germany - not a lot here though the boys did manage to grab a beer, as you do!
Italy, America, Japan, Morocco and France followed, but the kids were getting a bit countried out so we moved swiftly on to good old..
United Kingdom - £1 shop mugs of Keep Calm and Carry On mugs being sold here for $18!!  Still selling Princess Diana pins, and of course a pub - Tudor Style - and a fish and chip shop #standard
We did also manage to find an American Mary Poppins - and could have bought Man Utd or Chelsea shirts, hmmmmm - truthfully though, I get what they are trying to do :)

and finally to Canada a fab 14 minute video here showcasing Canada, and I have to say that we played Canada bingo here, with points if the following were shown -
Bear, Beaver, Salmon (extra points for bear with salmon), Skiing and Mounties (you all know my bessie mate @mediocre_mum is Canadian right)?  In all fairness it was very good and I do quite fancy it.  After all, there is a place called Jasper :)

We intended to stay for dinner then the fireworks, but it soon became evident that it was reservation only.  If you intend to do the same I recommend you make the reservation before you go out!!!   The fireworks were at 9pm, they were fab and only 15 mins, but the kids were shattered by this time.

Fantastic place, I highly recommend it!   Ours came part of our multi-ticket, but otherwise prices shown!  (So far the multi ticket prices bought from the UK are a winner, as we were told they would be)!

Today (second Tuesday) we went back to Epcot for 9am   We headed straight for Soarin grabbed fast passes, but also walked straight on!  It was amazing, absolutely fanstastic simulator showing you what it would be like to fly (soar) over the California skies.  Absolutely breathtaking!   Next we headed over to get fast passes for Test Track.  The time scheduled was for 2.20pm, so in the meantime we took in some more shows.  It was a little bit much some of the shows talking about how they are trying to look after the environment, but as we have witnessed there is very little recycling over here, so a tad annoying.  They recognise that landfill will become a problem, as will running out of energy, but to me they need to do an awful lot more than talking about it (rant over).

Having ridden the hard core Space Mission again, we finally headed over to the Test Track which was just as fab as we heard it was.  You design your own car, which is then put head to head against the others' cars in your car on the test track.  It sounds a bit odd, but it's really good and right up Jasper's street.   Our car managed to beat Chris and Scarlett's car by 2 points #getin!

Definitely a park to enjoy over 2 days, if you are going to get Disney passes, as this is part of Disney.   Although we really enjoyed it, next time we might leave the Disney part out, due to such high prices, and there is so much else to do.  Of course we can say this having already done it.  I'll leave it to you to ponder.
Annie x