Day 2: Hitting the parks hard
We woke up very excited to get out into the parks for our first full day of vacation. We hit the club lounge for our quick breakfast and got out into hot Florida summer. It was super hot and really early so we knew it was going to be a day to stay hydrated. We took the boat over to the parks and were very excited to see these beautiful turtles in the water by the boat dock.
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We started with Universal Studios today. Our first stop was the Minion ride. This is a great ride. The Despicable Me movies are a family favorite and we just really enjoy going on this ride over and over...we will hit it once or twice a day during our days in the park.
After our adventure with the minions we decided to get a drink. My kids like the Coke Freestyle machines so we went into the Monsters Café to get a pop. I didn't want to buy the reusable cup because I didn't want to carry the cups all day. We only wanted a drink. Come to find out you can't get just a fountain cup to use at the Freestyle machine. You can only use the reusable cups there. So when the team member said I couldn't just order a small pop and fill it at the Freestyle machine I said nevermind. I was just going to buy us bottled waters. The woman was really pushy. She's like "your drinks will be so cheap...whatever you want" I explained that's not the point, the point is I'm not carrying cups around. So we went to the stand outside Monsters Café and bought a couple Powerades and a couple bottles of water. While taking a break with our drink I noticed on of those "free refill" stations and the lines you have to wait in to get your pop. No thanks!
My daughter decided she needed to take an extended break so we took a spot in the shade in front of RRR. DH and the boys went on Transformers and we joined up after the ride feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Next we rode the Jimmy Fallon ride. I know on these boards it's not a popular opinion but boy did my family love this ride. The queue is air conditioned and you can walk around. That's a selling point for the kids. My kids also enjoyed the live entertainment in the line and of course #panda. The ride itself was cute. Yeah it was another simulator, but it was entertaining and funny. To me, I would have rode it a few times during the trip but my kids absolutely loved it and every day we went to Universal we rode Jimmy Fallon.
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After Jimmy Fallon we went on the Mummy. This time it was just DH, myself and DD. The boys decided to sit out this time. This is something I really love about Universal. The family can wait in line together (and with express pass it's a pretty quick line)...then whoever isn't riding can sit in a comfortable and safe room that show's cartoons and we can reunite after the ride. This trip we allowed my boys...usually just my oldest son to sit in child swap alone and we would all ride the ride. The team members didn't mind if an adult didn't stay behind and I felt comfortable leaving whoever was sitting out in the room. After the ride since DD was the only one to ride the coaster she got to try on the special head dress.
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After Mummy we gave Fast and Furious a try. DH actually really likes these movies so we were all excited to experience the attraction. This was pretty much a disappointment for everyone. I think this would have been better as a test track type attraction with smaller ride vehicles. We didn't care for the party bus...plus for as long as it took to get on the ride it felt so short! Just a disappointment all around.
Next we made our way over to MIB. My boys love this ride. It's ok...not my favorite but I don't have anything against it. So we threw my purse in a locker and rode this a couple times. By this point we were getting hungry so it was time for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. We love quick service in both Harry Potter areas. There is always a line but we don't mind waiting, it's a nice way to just chill and get ready to eat. I think the line was about 20 minutes long. Another good thing with a bit of a wait before ordering is that middle DS cannot order under pressure. He likes to reflect on what his wants to eat and drink. The fact that when you sit down at a restaurant and the waitress will take your drink order right away...he wants to physically look at his choices...he's can't think order under pressure...lol
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So after lunch we walked thru a few shops and rode Gringotts. I was very happy because oldest DS decided he was going to ride! We don't force our kids to ride anything. DS has always been nervous about rides and sometimes it takes him a bit to build up his courage. Today was the day and all five of us rode together. After the ride he stated it was ok, but it was one and done for him. Still too a little intense for him, but he said he was happy he tried it because he's read all the HP books and wanted to see Gringotts come to life...and he did...and it made me happy.
We decided it was a good time to go swimming. Even though it was hot we decided to walk back to the room...not sure why if I'm being honest but we did. We went into the lobby and got some fruit water on the way to our room. We relaxed in the room a bit. I'm thinking DH and I probably had a water or coffee in the club lounge then we went for a swim. After cooling down we went to the club lounge and had a light dinner. It was pasta night. I remember it being good.
After dinner we decided to go back into the parks. We went to IOA this time because I wanted to ride Kong and that's exactly what we did. This was an ok ride. The queue is pretty cool. It was a little dark for my boys and made them nervous. The ride vehicle is identical to Fast and Furious. Not my favorite type of ride vehicle...however, it made more sense for this ride. I liked this ride better. I'd rather see dinosaurs and bugs and kong as opposed to guns and highways. Plus the huge Kong head at the end of the ride it very cool.
After Kong we made our way over to Hogsmeade. We rode hippogriff once with the kids and then the kids rode themselves a second time. Then we rode FJ. I think only myself and the two younger kids rode today and DH hung out in the gift shop with older DS.
So after this ride we realized we overdid it again and had a tired DD (oops)...but we made our way back to the room and all was right with the world once everyone was showered and pj'd. We had our leftover pizza and got to bed because tomorrow was our much anticipated Legoland day...
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