Fun, fun, fun. A trip to Universal Studios was so much fun that even the Hippygeek (Mr. skeptical, Mr. glass half full, Mr. doesn’t like crowds) had a GREAT time. And, if the Hippygeek had a good time, you can imagine how much fun the Dudes had.
I wanted the Dudes to experience an amusement park sometime during our trip since they had never been to one and I thought Orlando would be the best place to do that. One could spend weeks AND thousands of dollars having fun in Orlando. But, we didn’t have weeks or thousands of dollars to spend so we decided a 2 day pass to Universal Studios would have to do.
left: We found new shirts for the Dudes.
right and below: The Lil Dude gets to meet his “heros”.
I had been to Disney World and Universal Studios before but, it had been many years (possibly 20 years?). Disney was fine but I distinctly remember being wowed by Universal. And, since the Big Dude has read the whole Harry Potter series, Harry Potter World at Universal’s Island of Adventure, would be of particular interest.
left: The Big Dude at “Hogwarts”.
right: You can always count on the Lil Dude to find the candy shop.
It was fortunate that we landed in Orlando at the end of April and in the middle of the week. WARNING to those thinking about a trip to Orlando: DO NOT, under any circumstances, consider visiting the parks during a holiday! Unless, of course, you enjoy masses of humanity in your face and standing in lines for hours!
left: Street performers.
right: The “locals” decided the Lil Dude needed a hat. So, they made him one out of a park map.
left: The “Blues Brothers” stopped in for a show.
We were disappointed when we saw a “1 hour” wait for the Harry Potter ride. But, when I asked the attendant about it, she told me that it is usually 3 hours long with the record being a 7 HOUR wait! That’s the whole freakin’ day! So, we were very pleased when we shot through in 35 minutes. Our wait times at Universal averaged 10 minutes with 20-30 minute wait times at Islands of Adventure which wasn’t bad at all.
right: The Lil’ Dude is about to be eaten by a “stray” from Jurassic Park.
Another advantage to visiting in April is that the temperatures are in the low 80’s. Even I could handle that. The only thing worse than standing in line for hours is standing in line for hours when it’s 90+ degrees outside! So, as it turns out, nobody had to scrape my wilted body off the pavement.
left and below: The Lil’ Dude was facinated by Milo the talking fountain who “toyed” with the kids and sprayed them with water.
Our friends, Ulli and Magan, who just bought an RV, joined us in Orlando and for our day at Islands of Adventure which made it even more fun. We camped at a beautiful city park called Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. The unbelievably low camping fee of $23.00 made the Universal entrance fees more bearable.
above: The gang, a little soggy after a ride on Popeye and Bluto’s Rat Barges.
Because it was not too crowded, we were able to see and do just about everything in the parks that we wanted to which would seem impossible on a crowded day. The Hippygeek (Mr. I hate merchandising) was enjoying himself so much that he even allowed himself to get caught up in the fun and actually purchased magic wands for the Dudes at Olivanders Wand Shop.
left: The Princess stayed at the park’s kennel during the day just in case we ran late, which we did. It was her first time at a kennel and she did just fine. (Although the picture is kinda pitiful)
right and below: The “Hulk” roller coaster was as thrilling as a sky dive I did a couple of years ago. Wow!
The place has a way of sneakily breaking through even the most guarded of personalities to allow one to just plain enjoy being there. I have never seen the Big Dude smile or belly laugh as much as I have the last two days.
above: A truffula forest.
above left: The Dudes listen to the “Lorax”.
above right: The Hippygeek rides the “Caro-Seuss-el”.
The shows were very entertaining and the rides were truly amazing. We ended our visit with a spin on the Dr. Suess Carousel. How could one ride on that and not have a smile on their face. It was all just good fun! (even for the skeptical ones)
“Fun is good” Dr. Seuss
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