BOOM! EXPRESS! No Wait!! A UOR December 2019 TR *COMPLETE* 4/27 x2

khertz said:
I’m pretty sure we looked like we were piling into a clown car considering there were six of us, each with a carry on suitcase and a backpack, plus an umbrella stroller, a kid in a car seat, and one in a booster seat.
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:rotfl: :rotfl: Glad you all fit though!

khertz said:
There was a separate line for families with strollers and people in wheelchairs, which was nice so we didn’t feel quite so rushed.
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That's so smart.

khertz said:
Unfortunately for my parents, the kids were up at 7:20 am and the first thing they did was clomp down the stairs to wake them up on the sofa bed. It was fortunate for us though, because we were able to sleep in until after 8 am!
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Nice for you and DH lol. Maybe not so much for your parents but it's sweet that the kids were so excited to be with their grandparents on vacation.


khertz said:
The map had 14 locations (6 in each park and 2 in City Walk) where you had to find the Christmas tree, get your map stamped, and once you had all 14 stamps, you get a free gift!
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I'm so sad- we left two locations on these to hit on our last day in December and we didn't make it back to finish!
 
Terra Nova guy said:
Hello! Wow , I really got behind on the boards. I started a new job back in December so I've been putting in a lot of hours, on top of the holidays. Things are just starting to get back to normal for me now.
Anyway, I did finish reading your last TR and I'm joining in for this one.
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Totally understandable, I haven't been able to DIS nearly as much the last few years now that I'm working Mon-Fri instead of 3 12-hour shifts a week!

I'm glad you made it over! Welcome!!

Wayland10 said:
First of all, your family is adorable! I'm planning our first visit to Universal, and I really appreciate your photos. I haven't seen some of these rides before and it's really helpful! Also, I've seen this before and I want to make sure I've got it right - refillable cups include slushies?!? My kids will be heaven!
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Thanks so much!!

Enjoy your trip, and hopefully you love it as much as we do!!

Yes, the refill cups include Icee refills! It's a great perk of having the cup. There are some slushes with alcohol and I am nearly positive those are not included. But there are several different Icee flavors they offer that are included along with your Freestyle machine refills.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions as you plan your trip!

amazingact21 said:
Glad the drive and flight were uneventful! It's always a relief when that portion of the trip has nothing notable to report.

Ahhh, kids and their grandparents. They can't resist waking them up. :rotfl:


Am I the only one amused to see DD join in on the iccee enjoyment? I mean, it's sort of a tradition at this point. :laughing:
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Yes, it really is a big relief when traveling with kids that it's unremarkable. I have been traumatized in the past (as I know you have!) so I'm always on edge for that travel day!! :rotfl2:

BEST PART hands down about having they grandparents along was the kids waking them, and not us, early in the morning!!! haha

I have to say, it brought me a lot of joy and made me feel so proud that DD fit right into our Universal traditions! lol The only bad thing was she tried to hog the cup a lot more than DS ever has, so we had to make her slow down sometimes!!
 
lvcourtneyy said:
:rotfl: :rotfl: Glad you all fit though!
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ME TOO!! I would have been in a panic if we started off our travel having to wait for another Uber!! :rotfl:

lvcourtneyy said:
That's so smart.
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We loved it! We have flown through a couple other airports that offer this, and it makes it so much more relaxing to go through security with allllllll the stuff you have when traveling with kids without impatient business men breathing down our necks to hurry up. lol

lvcourtneyy said:
Nice for you and DH lol. Maybe not so much for your parents but it's sweet that the kids were so excited to be with their grandparents on vacation.
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It was so great for us! Haha! While my parents probably would have liked to be able to sleep a little later themselves, they definitely didn't mind those little monsters coming to wake them up because they were so excited to see them every morning.

lvcourtneyy said:
I'm so sad- we left two locations on these to hit on our last day in December and we didn't make it back to finish!
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Oh no! What a bummer!!
 
Day 1 Continued: Friday December 6th

We were ready to get some lunch, but my parents weren’t ready to eat yet. My mom took the kids to play in the If I Ran the Zoo play area while DH and I went over to order our lunch at a place that hasn’t been open for years, but opened right before our trip…


…Green Eggs and Ham!!


IMG_5557 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

While they were playing, we decided to get an order of the Pizza Tots and the Buffalo Chicken Tots. The Buffalo Chicken tots came with both Buffalo sauce and ranch, but we asked for it with no sauce and just the Buffalo sauce on the side because we didn’t think the kids would like the spice.


It was so good! We all thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.


IMG_2579 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD did some posing before we left.


IMG_8225 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_8226 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_8227 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD was excited to see the Zax that she recognized from her Sneetches book at home.


After a restroom break, we decided to see if we could get into the 12:30 pm Grinch-mas show. I had read up about the show online and it said to arrive 15 minutes early, and we were cutting it close but we thought it was worth a try anyway. Also, I had seen it mentioned that there are no restrooms on the soundstage where the show takes place, so that’s something to remember if anyone plans to see this show. We made it there about 10 minutes before show time, and it was no problem, we just walked right in.

After parking the stroller, we realized we had gotten an Icee before lunch but forgotten to get our photo to commemorate!


We got to our seats with a few minutes to spare for the show to start. I guess since it was still pretty early in the holiday season, there was still plenty of open seating when we got there. I’m sure as it gets closer to Christmas, it fills up quicker and requires more of a time investment to make sure you get a seat.


Soon enough the show started, and it was very cute! Lots of fun songs, and funny Grinch-y moments!


After a good long time in Seuss Landing, we were ready to move on to the Wizarding World. But first, we had to get another Icee. DD wasn’t really sure why we were counting the number of Icees we got and taking pictures, but she was on board with participating immediately!


Potty breaks took a lot longer with 6 of us, and I made a lot of stops to try to fix DD’s unruly hair that day, so there were a lot of moments like this the DH documented.


After passing through Lost Continent, we were over to the Wizarding World!


Although we didn’t find the parks crowded overall, Hogsmeade looked like this almost all times of the day that we passed through:


I’m assuming this is because Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was still relatively new, having opened about 6 months before this trip. DH and I were a bit worried that with the lines still so long at times and still no virtual line in use, we might not get a chance to ride it.

Continued in next post...
 


Day 1 Continued: Friday December 6th

DS was excited to show DD how it was done and do some magic.


While we were doing magic, my parents decided they were ready for lunch and they ended up eating at 3 Broomsticks, which was decorated beautifully for the holidays.


We passed through Lost Continent to hit the Tree Hunt spot we had missed and spotted Puss In Boots with no one waiting to meet him.


Then we had to backtrack through Hogsmeade to get over to Jurassic Park.


There were a lot of construction walls up where they are working on the new roller coaster. It looks like a lot more progress has been made since we were there in May.


We stopped at the photo kiosk to get some used out of our photo package. They give you a nice long countdown after you scan your photo card to get in place, but we couldn’t get it together on attempt number 1.


MUP-001 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-002 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Then the kids each wanted a photo of their best scared faces.


MUP-003 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-004 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We made a stop on our Tree Hunt in one of the JP stores.


I tried to get a virtual line pass for Pteranodon Flyers on the app, but for some reason it wouldn’t let me do it that way, we had to go to the kiosk inside of Camp Jurassic to pick some up. They were for 3:10 pm, and we still had plenty of time before then, so the kids went to play in Camp Jurassic while I went to get us a strawberry Icee, since that’s DS’s favorite and there are only a few locations we know of that have them.


We decided to head into the Discovery Center to let the kids check it out, and to wait for my parents to catch up with after their lunch.


If you’ve read previous Universal TRs of mine, you might remember that when we were there with DS in September, we got to see one of the velociraptors hatch and DS got name it. He chose the name Sugar, and got a certificate to show that he had named her, and the TM told us that we could come back and check up on her on future visits. So I decided to go ahead and ask how Sugar was doing, not really knowing what to expect. Luckily for me, I take great notes in my phone for TR purposes, because I needed to know the name and the date of birth!

While the kids played, I grabbed a seat on the bench and my parents arrived to meet up with. After a few minutes, a TM returned with a report on Sugar that we were given to take home!


She currently weighs 219.8 pounds, likes to be with her pack and doesn’t like being separated, loves to run, and her favorite food is cows.


UP NEXT: I'm Flying!!
 
khertz said:
It was so good! We all thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.
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It really looks like a great option to share.
khertz said:
After a good long time in Seuss Landing, we were ready to move on to the Wizarding World. But first, we had to get another Icee. DD wasn’t really sure why we were counting the number of Icees we got and taking pictures, but she was on board with participating immediately!
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She's a pro!
khertz said:
Although we didn’t find the parks crowded overall, Hogsmeade looked like this almost all times of the day that we passed through:
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Doesn't it always look that way? The streets are just so narrow.
khertz said:
I’m assuming this is because Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was still relatively new, having opened about 6 months before this trip. DH and I were a bit worried that with the lines still so long at times and still no virtual line in use, we might not get a chance to ride it.
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Well, it does have to be actually running to be able tor ride it. Or was it finally running more reliably by then?
khertz said:

She currently weighs 219.8 pounds, likes to be with her pack and doesn’t like being separated, loves to run, and her favorite food is cows.
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That's pretty awesome! I think Sugar is my spirit animal. We have a lot in common aside from that "loves to run" thing.
 


Sounds like you all were having a productive day so far! Good to know they could put the buffalo sauce on the side...kids aren't usually big fans of that flavor.

I had to laugh at the fact that DD had no idea why she was counting icees...little does she knows it's integral to your TRs! Us DISers have come to expect it! :laughing:

That's fantastic that DS could check up on "Sugar." And how hilarious that her favorite food is cows.
 
The Grinchmas show sounds like a lot of fun! And it's so cool that you were able to check up on Sugar and get a progress report@ Glad you all had a great afternoon!
 
I love that DD wasn't sure why she was counting Icees but was all in the participate lol!

How cool is it that they gave you a report to take back home on Sugar. What a nice touch.
 
macraven said:
Loving those pictures you had at Jurassic Park!
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Thanks!

afwdwfan said:
It really looks like a great option to share.
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It definitely is. We thought about getting a third platter, but the two ended up being plenty to share.

afwdwfan said:
She's a pro!
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I was so impressed with how she just jumped right in as though she had always been participating in our Icee counts!

afwdwfan said:
Doesn't it always look that way? The streets are just so narrow.
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That's pretty true actually. I guess we just got so spoiled by the rest of the parks being so empty!

afwdwfan said:
Well, it does have to be actually running to be able tor ride it. Or was it finally running more reliably by then?
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NOPE!!!

afwdwfan said:
That's pretty awesome! I think Sugar is my spirit animal. We have a lot in common aside from that "loves to run" thing.
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I thought it was so cool too! I was glad I remembered that we could ask about her.

amazingact21 said:
Sounds like you all were having a productive day so far! Good to know they could put the buffalo sauce on the side...kids aren't usually big fans of that flavor.
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Yes, it was one we really wanted to try so I was glad they could make it to accommodate the kids taste buds too so that we could all enjoy.

amazingact21 said:
I had to laugh at the fact that DD had no idea why she was counting icees...little does she knows it's integral to your TRs! Us DISers have come to expect it! :laughing:
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She was such a pro right away!

amazingact21 said:
That's fantastic that DS could check up on "Sugar." And how hilarious that her favorite food is cows.
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I was really impressed that they put so much effort into it, and didn't just come out to tell us, "She's doing well and growing" or something simple. It was very cool!

missangelalexis said:
The Grinchmas show sounds like a lot of fun! And it's so cool that you were able to check up on Sugar and get a progress report@ Glad you all had a great afternoon!
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The Grinchmas show was pretty great! Universal doesn't have a whole lot when it comes to shows, so it was nice we were able to visit when that was going on.

lvcourtneyy said:
I love that DD wasn't sure why she was counting Icees but was all in the participate lol!

How cool is it that they gave you a report to take back home on Sugar. What a nice touch.
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I was loving it so much that she just jumped right in, as though she had never missed out on a Universal trip with us!!

I was very impressed that so much effort was put into the update. I definitely wasn't expecting a full report that took them awhile to put together like that!
 
Day 1 Continued: Friday December 6th

After checking in on Sugar and spending some time in the Discovery Center, it was time to go use our virtual line passes for Pteranodon Flyers.


IMG_2590 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DD and I went first, and to say I was nervous about it was a bit of an understatement! I know they put something between their legs when they are that small so she can’t slip out, but that was all I could think would happen!


IMG_2591 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_2592 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We took off, and she was having a blast, and had no idea I was a ball of nerves in the seat right behind her!! We spotted my parents, who were waiting for us near the restrooms, and DD yelled out at them to get their attention, waved, and yelled, “I’M FLYING!!!” It was super cute! DH and DS were right behind us, and once we were all back together, we decided to move on from Jurassic Park.

On the bridge to Toon Lagoon, DH went to get us a lemonade Icee while the kids watched people splashing down on Dudley Do-Right’s.


There was also a Tree Hunt location in the Betty Boop store in Toon Lagoon.


After passing through Toon Lagoon, we headed into Marvel Superhero Island and saw Wolverine out without a long line to meet him.


UniDec19 01-073 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-009 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-006 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

The wait for Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man wasn’t too bad, so we got in line for that next. I was a bit worried for how DD would react to this, since it was definitely more intense than anything she had ridden thus far.


As we loaded in, I explained to DD that there would be stuff coming towards her, but that if it made her too scared, she could take her glasses off and it wouldn’t look like it was coming at her anymore. She tried it out with the glasses on for the very beginning, but quickly decided to take them off.


Her face in our ride photo CRACKED. ME. UP!!!


MUP-005 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

This photo on its own made the photo package 100% worth it!

We crossed the street to meet Spider-Man next, stopping first in the store to get our Tree Hunt stamp.


This time, Spider-Man wasn’t as chatty as he’s been in the past, so it was a pretty quick interaction.

We were ready to head out of IOA after that.


We made one more pass through the main gift shop at the entrance to get our last stamp for IOA on our Tree Hunt.


There were two spots for the Tree Hunt in CityWalk, and one of them was at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. We decided to stop there to get our stamp on the way out since it’s so close to the entrance of IOA and on the way to Studios.


It was about 4:30 pm when we made it over to Universal Studios. The first thing we did was have a quick photo shoot at the entrance. I always feel like those Photo TMs are so surprised when people actually DO want to stop for photos! :rotfl: We did a few poses with just the 4 of us first, then got my parents in for some. The photographer definitely had his routine for what poses he gets everyone to do…Smile, Wave, Thumbs Up, Peace Sign, Hug!


MUP-013 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-014 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-020 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-012 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-019 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-017 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-011 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-018 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-015 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


MUP-016 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We had to make a stop at Guest Services to upgrade mine and DS’s passes. Back in September, we had renewed all of our Seasonal APs, and then for our May trip, DH had upgraded his to the Preferred Pass so that we could get free parking, because we knew the upgrade would pay for itself in just a few days of parking, and since we had two trips where we’d be driving back and forth to the parks, it was totally worth it. But DS and I still had Seasonal APs, which meant we are blocked out from Studios on any days when there is a concert happening. Once our original October trip got moved to December, we realized we’d have to upgrade our passes to Power Passes so that we wouldn’t be blocked out from Studios both Saturday & Sunday when Mannheim Steamroller was performing.

Continued in next post...
 
Day 1 Continued: Friday December 6th

The upgrade didn’t take too long, and Minion Mayhem only had a 10 minute wait posted, but I think it took even less than that. It was our first time riding since they got rid of the 3D from this attraction.


DD really enjoyed her first time on the ride! We stopped to meet the Minion on the way out.


DD enjoyed seeing herself on the screen walking out too, and by the time we finished meeting the minion, there was hardly anyone else in there so she had plenty of room to bust a move.


We got another stamp for our Tree Hunt in the store there after the ride.


We were about ready for dinner after that, so we headed to Springfield so we could get something at Fast Food Boulevard. Along the way, we stopped to get another Icee from the cart by Café La Bamba. I took the kids to walk around in the little garden area while DH was waiting in line.


IMG_8244 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_8245 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_8246 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

I think we forgot to take a picture with it until after we ate, which is why it’s way darker in this photo, and why we are all the way past Fast Food Boulevard and by the carnival games.


DD got a kids cheese pizza, which was supposed to come with fruit but they were out so they offered her tots or curly fries, and she chose the fries. DS, my dad, and I all had Krusty burgers, DH had the chicken & waffle sandwich, and my mom got the chicken sandwich but just ate the chicken breast and toppings.


UP NEXT: Cinematic Celebration
 
khertz said:
We spotted my parents, who were waiting for us near the restrooms, and DD yelled out at them to get their attention, waved, and yelled, “I’M FLYING!!!”
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Aw how cute! She's so brave!

khertz said:
Her face in our ride photo CRACKED. ME. UP!!!
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:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:


khertz said:
The photographer definitely had his routine for what poses he gets everyone to do…Smile, Wave, Thumbs Up, Peace Sign, Hug!
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We noticed this too lol

khertz said:
It was our first time riding since they got rid of the 3D from this attraction.
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I'm confused about why they did that still!
 
I'm glad DD enjoyed the flyers- even if you were a nervous wreck!

That's a great ride photo of DD on spiderman! :rotfl2:

I had no idea they got rid of the 3D from minion mayhem!
 
khertz said:
We took off, and she was having a blast, and had no idea I was a ball of nerves in the seat right behind her!! We spotted my parents, who were waiting for us near the restrooms, and DD yelled out at them to get their attention, waved, and yelled, “I’M FLYING!!!” It was super cute!
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That's awesome! I'm glad she enjoyed it so much, even if it gave you some slight anxiety.
khertz said:
Her face in our ride photo CRACKED. ME. UP!!!
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That is awesome!!! :rotfl: :rotfl2: :lmao:
khertz said:
DD enjoyed seeing herself on the screen walking out too, and by the time we finished meeting the minion, there was hardly anyone else in there so she had plenty of room to bust a move.
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I'm glad she enjoyed the minions and the post ride experience! She really seems to be doing great with most of these first time experiences so far.
 
EEK I think I slept through the first part of your report....I was still going through the other report you wrote.:crazy:

Your son is as adorable as always, your daughter is just the cutest little girl! She sure did seem to get into the spirit of things and what a good sport. Agree the expression on her face on Spiderman is priceless.
 
lvcourtneyy said:
Aw how cute! She's so brave!
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Yes, she was SO brave!! I could hardly believe it. But that ride has always made me nervous, so it's no wonder I was holding on much more tightly than she was!

lvcourtneyy said:
We noticed this too lol
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It was so cheesy, but it made for a fun photo session!

lvcourtneyy said:
I'm confused about why they did that still!
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Me too!! I loved it with the 3D. I've read a whole host of excuses online, but who knows what the real reason is.

macraven said:
You got some great pictures with your photo pass
All smiles in your group !
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Thanks! We enjoyed seeking out the photographers this trip since we had paid for it, and got a lot of fun photos!

missangelalexis said:
I'm glad DD enjoyed the flyers- even if you were a nervous wreck!

That's a great ride photo of DD on spiderman! :rotfl2:

I had no idea they got rid of the 3D from minion mayhem!
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I wish the Flyers would have had a ride photo, I'm sure that would have made a great one too!! :rotfl:

Yes, I was SO disappointed. It had to be somewhat recent, because it was still 3D in May when we went last before this trip.

Polyonmymind said:
Your daughters expressions are priceless. Great pictures, thanks for sharing. Geaux Saints!
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Thanks for following along! Who Dat!!

afwdwfan said:
That's awesome! I'm glad she enjoyed it so much, even if it gave you some slight anxiety.
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I was glad she enjoyed it too! My mom said from the ground she could see how tightly I was gripping the bars. lol

afwdwfan said:
That is awesome!!! :rotfl: :rotfl2: :lmao:
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It cracked me up when we went to load it on to our card!!

afwdwfan said:
I'm glad she enjoyed the minions and the post ride experience! She really seems to be doing great with most of these first time experiences so far.
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Yes, I was so (pleasantly) surprised!! I remember riding things in May and thinking, "This is going to terrify her...She won't like this...Well, that's going to be too loud for her." I was so happy to find that she was enjoying a lot more than I could have expected!

Tink2Day said:
EEK I think I slept through the first part of your report....I was still going through the other report you wrote.:crazy:

Your son is as adorable as always, your daughter is just the cutest little girl! She sure did seem to get into the spirit of things and what a good sport. Agree the expression on her face on Spiderman is priceless.
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Well, I have had a few back to back, so I don't blame you!! lol

She was instantly a Universal fan, which was such a wonderful surprise! We really enjoyed getting to experience it all with her at an age where she could really appreciate so much of it.
 
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