Let The Memories Begin! – Day 6
Today is Our Universal Studio day. We have decided to skip Island Of Adventure since we are not big fans of Harry Potter and thrill rides.
We set off after a quick breakfast at the hotel. We decided not to get preferred parking this time as the difference is USD 6. It was a good thing we did not as the Universal carpark is multi-storey and preferred only lets you park at the lower deck unlike Seaworld where you get to park really close to the entrance. We have only gotten a one day pass so we had to prioritise the attractions and fortunately, Universal appears to be a low crowd day. Our first stop was to get a Universal refillable mug at USD 10.99. The mug has a RFID chip and is valid for use that day with unlimited free refills subject to a 10 minute interval at 4 locations. All refill locations has 100+ drink choices and we were fascinated to see all varieties of sugar free drinks like Fanta Fruit Punch, Raspberry and Grape.
The first attraction we visited was Twister…Ride It Out. This special effects simulator attraction takes guests to the town of Wakita, in the middle of hurricane valley. It lets you feel what it’s like to be a real storm chaser, looking a tornado right in the eye and braving the worst nature can throw at you. This is Ashley’s first visit to Orlando and she was rather anxious about the rides and attractions. As we overlooked the simulated outdoor scene of dark clouds and lightning, Ashley got amused and began to enjoy the experience. Then a simulated tornado drops from the sky, and rain begins to fall as we were squirted with water from above. The tornado continues to wreck the scene and a cow ‘flew’ past us. Both Jarod and Ashley enjoyed this experience.
Our next attraction was Disaster!, a partial tram tour and show which casts riders in a movie finale scene involving an earthquake in a subway station. Shortly after we boarded the subway train, lights in the station started to flicker, and the train was shaken by a violent earthquake. Then a gasoline truck falls through the ceiling and bursts into flames and and a flash flood of water rushes down the stairs and into the station. As we headed back to the West Oakland station, the TV monitors on the train showed the trailer for the film “Mutha Nature” which features the volunteer riders for the various roles. We enjoyed the experience.
Next, Ashley wanted to catch A Barney Holiday, a sing along show. At age of 6, Ashley still loves to watch Barney and friends. After we exit from the show, there was an indoor play area and she spent some time there before we headed to Monster Cafe for lunch. We were not very hungry so we shared a lasagna and Nathan’s hot dog. The lasagna was not very nice but the hot dog was delicious. This is the first time Ashley finished the entire kid’s meal.
After lunch, we tried Men In Black Alien Attack. This is similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride but you zap aliens instead. However, the ride has more spins and ZA felt giddy after the ride. Our next to do was ET Adventure. This ride requires us to hop aboard a bike to find E.T. so as to save his dying planet. Although an old ride, we enjoyed the experience and returned later for a second ride. We walked around the Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone and explored the Krustyland. ZA is a big fan of Simpsons. The hot weather was taking a toll on us.
We headed next to find a spot to watch Macy’s Holiday Parade. While waiting for the parade, Jarod snacked on dried crickets and worms. They did not look too appetising but tasted not too bad, so much so that even Ashley tried some. The parade takes to the streets with colorful balloons and floats coming to us straight from the world famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. There are also marching bands, clowns, and an appearance by the one and only Santa Claus! We were entertained and the paraders handed many candies to Ashley.
After the parade, we crossed the street to watch Theater Magic, a live magic show. The magician impressed us by the several magic levitation tricks and we especially liked the fire wallet whereby the wallet literally burst into fire flames when opened. There was not much time left and we could only manage Shrek 4-D. This is similar to the one at Universal Singapore. ZA did not watch the show with us as he went to the gift shop to get Ashley the banana flavoured scorpion lollipop.
Just before the park closed, the grand finale was the Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular. This show features the most powerful scenes of Universal’s Pictures’ most iconic films, all projected on cutting-edge waterfall scenes within the Universal Studio’s lagoon. The show is also surrounded by colourful, synchronised water fountains and fireworks. Amazingly, ZA could recognise almost all the films.
We concluded our visit to Universal Studios Florida. We preferred the SeaWorld which is more interactive. Also, the size of the park was greatly reduced as they have used up some space to build Island Of Adventures. The rides were mainly motion 3D rides like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, The Simpsons Ride, Transformers and Terminator 2. ZA and Jarod do not take too well to 3D rides and so we skipped all of them. With this visit, Jarod would have conquered all the Universal Studios in the world.
Our dinner was at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. along Citywalk. This restaurant is themed after the Forrest Gump movie. There was a line to get into the restaurant and we were famished. We ordered a Seafood Platter, Fish and Chips as well as Shrimpers Heaven to share while Ashley wanted her Macaroni and Cheese. We also ordered drinks served in a souvenir light-up cup and Ashley loves them. The food was decent but compared to the other seafood restaurants we have been to, it pales in comparison. We will not dine here again should we return. After dinner, we returned to the hotel, flat out.
