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The minute we got off our plane in Orlando, somebody slapped a palm tree in my hand, threw a tiki torch on my head and erected ancient Egyptian stones all around me.
Thus began an amazing four day visit to the theme parks of Florida, courtesy of my fiancee, Susan, who arranged the entire trip to celebrate my fortieth birthday. It truly was the adventure of a lifetime!
Susan contacted as many of our friends as she could and got them to come to Florida to party with us. All airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation and park admissions were provided by her. The only thing I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
And boy did I ever! This was by far the best trip I've ever taken. Everything about it was perfect, with each day being very different from the others. Susan organized it brilliantly, even contacting weatherman Jim Westland and ordering picture perfect days during our stay. Our planes were on time, and even the airline food came from a good Italian restaurant in Minneapolis. We were upgraded for free to a minivan, and our bed at The Hampton Inn was wonderful! All the pieces were in place for a perfect adventure!
We began our adventure on Thursday by going to, where else, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. We could have gone to one of the Disney parks, but I figured Saturday at IOA might be crowded and I wanted one good day with low crowds, minimal waiting and lots of riding. Plus I just couldn't wait to go!
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We pulled into the world's largest parking garage at 8:30 a.m. I'm amazed at how easy it is to navigate the entrance to this garage. We walked down a series of people movers and were serenaded by the soundtracks from Universal's motion picture library. This walkway is very attractive and really heightens the sense of anticipation. We crossed the bridge and entered CityWalk. Wow! This place is Party Central!! Big, wide walkways and an open plaza area allow you to take in the open atmosphere and enormous scale of the area. It's a wide open festival mall with lots of color, huge restaurants, clubs, shops and a state of the art cineplex. Surrounding this giant party zone is a waterway that overlooks Universal Studios Florida, Across the channel is the biggest Hard Rock Cafe in the world, designed like a roman colliseum. The whole area defines the word extravaganza!
Choose your path. You can go to the right and visit Universal Studios, which is just across the way and looks inviting in its own right. Or you can walk straight ahead and have the best time of your life. Forward! On! |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
"The Adventure Begins" reads the message above the entrance. And the moment you enter this park you are dumbstruck. Do I look up, do I look down? Oh look at that! Look over there! Oh my goodness! Look at this place! This is amazing! The first five words out of Susan's mouth were "Wow!"
It's true, folks. Islands of Adventure is no plastic park, it's the real deal. No expense was spared in theming this place to within an inch of its life. The sidewalks alone are amazing. Yet you look up at any building, any corner, and you're bound to notice something completely new and different. |
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Susan wanted to ride Hulk first. Yay!!! Normally I would grab her hand and fairly drag her into the queue, but Hulk is one coaster that is worth stopping just to watch. .........Okay, that's enough, let's ride!
I really like the way you feel the power of this coaster. No other B&M rides this way. The launch works so well on this ride, it feels like there is no WAY you're going to make it through the top of that tunnel! And the inversion at the top is just the beginning of a brilliantly designed layout that is very disorienting. I love the changes of direction on this ride. I've ridden it I don't know how many times now and I still can't trace the layout or anticipate where I'm going next. The other great thing about Hulk is that every seat is good. The back right is the best, but it's such a great ride it really doesn't matter where you sit. |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
After several rides on Hulk we walked over to Spiderman, which was temporarily down, so we continued on through Marvel Super Hero and Toon Lagoon. Susan had yet to recover the use of her vocabulary and continued to utter the only remaining word she knew, "Wow!" We then entered Jurassic Park and went to Pteranodon Flyers, which is a kiddie suspended coaster and worth the two minute wait we had to endure. The best thing about P Flyers is exiting through Camp Jurassic, a fantasy playpark if ever there was one. I love the shaft you have to criss-cross down through, and the slides are great, too. There are interactive play areas like this all over the park, but this one is the best. IOA hit a home run in making a thrill park for KIDS! We crossed over Jurassic Park and into The Lost Continent. A chime sounded, which managed to fade away the joyous sounds of Calypso Jurassic, and seamlessly usher in the distinct sounds of a new island. The music from Lost Continent is by far my favorite. This is also the best looking island, which is odd considering the entire place is in ruins. |
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We entered Dueling Dragons and made the journey up to the castle. The moment we entered the castle I felt a sense of euphoria. This place is *that* exciting. Susan screamed "WOW!!" as loud as she could, and we made our way through the darkened rooms and corridors of this forbidding place. The long, narrow room, bathed in blue overhead light and candles at the top, is my favorite. I also like the bones imbedded into the floor. As you approach one of the last corridors, a man's voice sternly warns: "Beware to those who tempt thy fate, you're about to make your last mistake!" |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson
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We chose our fate and went to the front row of Ice Dragon. The first ride on the Dragons has to be in the front. And who did we see waiting for the front of Fire Dragon but Chris Hartman and Jerry Dorf. We ended up dueling face to face with them. Ice Dragon is great, but only from the front. There is a point at which you come dangerously close to crashing into the castle wall. This is a freak-out moment. Unfortunately for Susan, she was so busy freaking out from the rest of the ride that she didn't even remember seeing the wall. This happened to me, too, when I first rode Dueling Dragons. I wonder how many people actually miss seeing that wall the first time? You won't miss it the second time, I can tell you that right now!
Dueling Dragons is such a great ride. Of course Fire in the back is the best for the g-forces it generates. But let's face it, this is a very visual ride. The dueling aspect actually works, and the sight of all those near misses is what makes this attraction so incredibly special. |
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Chris and Jerry joined us for the rest of the day, and we had such a wonderful time exploring the park and experiencing every attraction. Poseiden's Fury was new for me, and I loved it. I won't describe it or any other "attraction" so as not to spoil any surprises. But on this day, everything worked and the atmosphere was somber and very impressive. This would not be the case on Saturday, when some of the effects were not working, and I felt the atmosphere was too contemporary with a misuse of pop culture references. It took me out of the moment.
I was also disappointed with the Adventures of Sinbad. This is a stunt show, and I guess I just don't like them. The choregraphy always seems obvious, and the humor is always geared toward stupid people. I wish theme parks would create a show with good singing and dancing, and leave the desperate pandering for laughs to television sitcoms. |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson
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Suess Landing was next. We rode One Fish Two Fish first, and Susan, Chris and I took a two fish blue fish down, down, down. The song they play during this ride is adorable, addicting and unforgettable. And that woman's laugh! HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!! It's hilarious! It's the kind of thing you hear for days afterward. I love One Fish Two Fish. Chris manned the controls and we got a little wet, but not too bad. This would not be the case two days later when I would ride with Cindy "Look Out!" Stout.
Suess Landing is by far the most colorful, most fanciful, most charming section of any park I've been to. If I were a kid, I would want to go to school there. |
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Before the sun set we went back to Toon Lagoon. Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls sets a new standard for log flumes. The theming is spectacular and more than makes up for the noticeable lack of special effects in certain areas. The Mount Rushmore facade is awesome! Airtime on a log flume? Incredible! Camelbacks? On a LOG FLUME??? Preposterous!!!
Dudley Do Right is incredible. The drops are terrific and surprises await you at every turn. The final drop sends you airborne for a few seconds, then you come up and over another camelback, more airtime, and then the final splashdown. You get *very* wet! The house at the bottom of the drop shakes as each log passes through it, and individual boards along the boardwalk spring up as riders pass underneath them. Like Hulk, this ride is almost as much fun to watch. |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson
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Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges is even better. To call this a rapids ride seems demeaning. This is a truly thrilling adventure. There are so many sections to this ride I don't even know how to describe it, other than to say it is FAST and SCARY and you WILL GET WET! In fact, Chris Hartman became the wettest human being I have ever seen in my life after getting off Popeye. He even generated comments from the ride ops. Ten minutes after we got off Popeye, Chris Hartman was still dripping water from his fingertips. |
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We rode Spiderman toward the end of the evening. We'd tried to ride it once in the afternoon, but it broke down and we were put on an exit pass list. Earlier that day, while waiting in Spiderman's theatre queue, Susan pointed out that the room's woodwork was in the shape of a spider, with the body at the center of the ceiling and its eight legs spreading out and down along the walls. Color me impressed! We held out for the front row, and I'm so glad. I won't give anything away, except to say at one point I screamed "THAT'S A BIG GREEN PENIS!!!" Susan and Chris loved the ride - they jumped and flinched and shouted and clapped. We all did. Spiderman is great. |
Photo courtesy of Jeff Johnson |
We ended our night on Hulk, and seeing Marvel's neon skyline all lit up while riding this coaster was an unforgettable image. I don't think I could ever get enough of this ride, but the nighttime rides were special. We left Islands of Adventure, but not before another extensive shopping extravaganza and stopping at Croissant Moon Bakery for.....
THE BIG COOKIE.
Chris Hartman talked about getting a big giant chocolate chip cookie all day. He ate one in April during ACE Day at IOA and he couldn't wait to have another one. We all got one and I have to say he's right. These cookies are simply incredible. And they are very big!
That ends our first day at IOA. It was wonderful. IOA has not lost any of it's appeal since April. In fact, it's even better. Dudley Do Right and Popeye are the best water rides I've ever experienced. I can't wait to come back on Saturday.
THE ADVENTURE LIVES ON
Up Next: Part II: Busch Gardens Tampa
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