after an extended sabbatical from writing my spring break trip report, i am forcing myself to get on with this so i won't prove that i can't finish anything i get started...now on with the show
CHARACTERS:
Clark:mild-mannered, bubbling no-it-all, means well, has not grown up yet, not an English major(sorry for grammer)(just kidding)(enuf with the parenthesis), disney commano attitude
Ellen:stablizing force in house, supportive wife, keeps Clark from goofing up to badly does everything for 4 kids(3 children + 1 Clark)
Rusty1:just turned nine, Clark caused permenant damaged when convinced him and ellen to ride TOT when he was four, full of life
Audrey: 7 year old daddy's girl, got me by a string, too smart, knows daddy's tricks
Rusty2: 5 year old impetious little boy, if he was the first child he would've been the only child, gives best hugs and smiles, curly headed and hates it
Aunt Edna: did not join us this time around, we will strap her on the plane in effigy (heck, willl strap her on right on main st. usa)
i had been to universal back in the 80's and couldn't remember a thing except the tram going thru the wall of water and "kit" the talking car.....i think there may have been a miami vice stunt show...but i was going to purchase something for my family, something to make this day special..i was counting on this park being crowded since this was also alot of califonia school's spring break..
we started off eating at hooke's point at DH for breakfast...do you ever feel maybe your eating at the wrong place when no one else is there?? the food was pretty good and waitress was very nice but she wanted to talk so much it was hard to eat because i thought it would be rude to turn around and munch with her talking.....breakfast cost $60 with tip, yikes.
the roads were suprisingly empty this sunday morning and got there in less than an hour. it was fun seeing all the exits with the street names you hear on TV. i splurged on the vip parking($7bucks extra i believe) and we weren't 50 yards from the main entrance................now my time had come. i walk up to the ticket window and decide to spend the extra $45 bucks a person for the VIP passes....ya'll probably know what the passes are but they get you to the front of the line with minimal wait..i had called universal a couple of weeks before our trip and was asking about the crowds and passes and the gentleman on the phone highly recommended getting there early since the passes will probably run out...(hey, is the hook in my mouth obvious at this point in the story)....my wife hears the lady says it will be $450+ and something and she starts asking me what i have done...i told her about the passes and started hanging our VIP passses on the chain around our children's neck...i'm pumped and ready to get to the head of the line.
employees directed us to waterworld, the first show of the day. another employee saw our VIP passes(aren't we special) and proceeded to herd us away from the minions to our special VIP section in the 80% empty stadium...our seats were actually not that bad but they were not anybetter than anyone else. we could've sat in some better seats but i'm getting my $450 worth here....the show was ok and the kids seemed to like it which is most important.
we ran over to catch spiderman rocks! which started in ten minutes...we again were herded to our specail VIP side entrance apart from the underlings. at show time we were told the show was cancelled because spiderman had not arrived yet. whaddayamean spiderman hasn't arrived yet? this sinking feeling in my stomach gave me an understanding about maybe how this park was run...
we headed next door to the pet show which is just like the pet show in orlando but the kids liked it...we again sat in our VIP seats which were off to the side, but hey, i'm getting my $450 worth...it was about an hour after the park first opened and this show is 90%empty...the sinking feeling is now making its way up.
we go to the nickelodean blast/splash zone area....we are pleading for the kids to not get wet since it was about 60 degrees out and we had no extra clothes...i can't believe it is warmer in tennessee this time of year. the wild thornberry temple was fun as we shot each other with these foam balls with air gun type devices. we even spent ten minutes loading up this giant bucket with balls that when filled to a certain point would tip over and spill on you. it was tupid but it was fun. we head over to the back to the future ride and have trouble finding our special VIP entrance..when we do nobody comes for about 5 minutes to get us..i notice as we enter that there was absolutely no wait to get in the ride. the sinking feeling is now reaching the upper third of my throat. i was worried about my kids liking this but they loved it. the 2 oldest actually donn't like the bug's life 3D films so i was surprised they liked this one.
we decided to eat at Louie's pizza and pasta and had a so-so meal (which cost about $40)...we head over to the tram tour and get on...the tour is much improved with the addition of the video screens on the trams but it is almost too long, especially for a 5 year old...plus it is sunday and the backlot is totally deserted giving no excitement what ever. going thru the king kong and earthquakes sets reminds me how all theme parks can stretch out an idea way too long without updating it(ie ellen's energy adventure, living seas)...i don't want some rides to ever change and consider them classics(pirates, haunted mansion)..did not use VIP because there was no wait.
i took the boys to terminator 3D and the girls went shopping. there were some people waiting to get in but an employee directed me to the VIP entrance..will the passes finally help us?..we follow and enter this room and this girl tells us to sit and wait for a minute...five or six minutes later she comes and get us. we enter the preshow and are placed at the very front of the preshow area..unfortunately we could hardly see the character talking on a balcony above us because the crowds was all pack to the front. the sinking feeling(along with the meatball sandwich i had for lunch) had now made its way up to my mouth. i was again worried that the boys would get scared but the 5 yo loved it. very good show and enjoyed watch rusty1 and rusty2 grabbing at air for things showing on the screen...
the lower lot is probably 300 feet lower than the main upper lot so you have to take all these escalators down...tough when you have a couple of strollers....we take the VIP entrance to backdraft(saved us about 3 minutes) and see the worst piece of crap passed off as an attraction.. i can't believe ron howard would even show his face on the commentary he gave on TV monitors during the show. plus, we were at the very back and could barely see the actual main show of an uncontrolled fire(which was brief and very anticlimatic)..
our VIP passes actually helped as rusty1 and I saved about 15 minutes on Jurrasic Park....i've ridden this ride in orlando also and was very disappointed the first time i rode it...i had read on a discussion board how the original in hollywood was so much better so i had high expectations....except for the final encounter with Trex and the plunge, the rest of the ride was as lame as orlando's version. i know splash mountain is not as steep or long as jurrasic's drop, but splash is more thrilling because you are in a smaller ride vehicle and you think your head is going to crash in the thorn bushes....
finally, made it to spiderman rocks! and were shown our seats in the VIP area, again not anything spectacular where we were placed...in fact, before the show began, they let the "smart" people of the world without these passes sit with us...how dare they??!!! MY BADGE OF PRIVILEGE HAD BECOME MY BADGE OF STUPIDITY. the spiderman show was ok. although tarzan rocks has its critics, i've always kinda like it and the music is great. of course, i think my wife likes it because of tarzan. the jane(s) i always have seen have never been as good looking in comparison to the guy. no fair!
we go back to the nickelodean area and let the kids soak themselves in the water area. it was funny watching them walk back to the car with their legs spread apart so their wet underwear wouldn't rub...
we swam for an hour that evening. the main pool was crowded and cold..the smaller pool actually was warmer but boring but we had it to ourselves. don't stay at this hotel just for the swimming .. we ate that nite at rainforest cafe and had a very good meal..the best rainforest as far as theming i have been to(definately better than AK or DTD)..watched the fireworks from the balcony again as i blow dried the kid's wet shoes as the pixies from the border of our room fluoresced...how magical!
overall, i felt ripped off. i tried to do something special and it cost me a $225 lesson. i wanted to complain but what could i say. universal hollywood is a poorly run, unclean and untidy park compared to disney, and overall a waste of time..even though i have always enjoyed universal orlando, the whole universal experience has left a bad taste in my mouth(mostly consisting of stomach acid and bile)...i wish we had spent the day at disneyland because it didn't rain....the lessons we learn...and as john denver sang, "some days are diamonds, some days are stone."
CHARACTERS:
Clark:mild-mannered, bubbling no-it-all, means well, has not grown up yet, not an English major(sorry for grammer)(just kidding)(enuf with the parenthesis), disney commano attitude
Ellen:stablizing force in house, supportive wife, keeps Clark from goofing up to badly does everything for 4 kids(3 children + 1 Clark)
Rusty1:just turned nine, Clark caused permenant damaged when convinced him and ellen to ride TOT when he was four, full of life
Audrey: 7 year old daddy's girl, got me by a string, too smart, knows daddy's tricks
Rusty2: 5 year old impetious little boy, if he was the first child he would've been the only child, gives best hugs and smiles, curly headed and hates it
Aunt Edna: did not join us this time around, we will strap her on the plane in effigy (heck, willl strap her on right on main st. usa)
i had been to universal back in the 80's and couldn't remember a thing except the tram going thru the wall of water and "kit" the talking car.....i think there may have been a miami vice stunt show...but i was going to purchase something for my family, something to make this day special..i was counting on this park being crowded since this was also alot of califonia school's spring break..
we started off eating at hooke's point at DH for breakfast...do you ever feel maybe your eating at the wrong place when no one else is there?? the food was pretty good and waitress was very nice but she wanted to talk so much it was hard to eat because i thought it would be rude to turn around and munch with her talking.....breakfast cost $60 with tip, yikes.
the roads were suprisingly empty this sunday morning and got there in less than an hour. it was fun seeing all the exits with the street names you hear on TV. i splurged on the vip parking($7bucks extra i believe) and we weren't 50 yards from the main entrance................now my time had come. i walk up to the ticket window and decide to spend the extra $45 bucks a person for the VIP passes....ya'll probably know what the passes are but they get you to the front of the line with minimal wait..i had called universal a couple of weeks before our trip and was asking about the crowds and passes and the gentleman on the phone highly recommended getting there early since the passes will probably run out...(hey, is the hook in my mouth obvious at this point in the story)....my wife hears the lady says it will be $450+ and something and she starts asking me what i have done...i told her about the passes and started hanging our VIP passses on the chain around our children's neck...i'm pumped and ready to get to the head of the line.
employees directed us to waterworld, the first show of the day. another employee saw our VIP passes(aren't we special) and proceeded to herd us away from the minions to our special VIP section in the 80% empty stadium...our seats were actually not that bad but they were not anybetter than anyone else. we could've sat in some better seats but i'm getting my $450 worth here....the show was ok and the kids seemed to like it which is most important.
we ran over to catch spiderman rocks! which started in ten minutes...we again were herded to our specail VIP side entrance apart from the underlings. at show time we were told the show was cancelled because spiderman had not arrived yet. whaddayamean spiderman hasn't arrived yet? this sinking feeling in my stomach gave me an understanding about maybe how this park was run...
we headed next door to the pet show which is just like the pet show in orlando but the kids liked it...we again sat in our VIP seats which were off to the side, but hey, i'm getting my $450 worth...it was about an hour after the park first opened and this show is 90%empty...the sinking feeling is now making its way up.
we go to the nickelodean blast/splash zone area....we are pleading for the kids to not get wet since it was about 60 degrees out and we had no extra clothes...i can't believe it is warmer in tennessee this time of year. the wild thornberry temple was fun as we shot each other with these foam balls with air gun type devices. we even spent ten minutes loading up this giant bucket with balls that when filled to a certain point would tip over and spill on you. it was tupid but it was fun. we head over to the back to the future ride and have trouble finding our special VIP entrance..when we do nobody comes for about 5 minutes to get us..i notice as we enter that there was absolutely no wait to get in the ride. the sinking feeling is now reaching the upper third of my throat. i was worried about my kids liking this but they loved it. the 2 oldest actually donn't like the bug's life 3D films so i was surprised they liked this one.
we decided to eat at Louie's pizza and pasta and had a so-so meal (which cost about $40)...we head over to the tram tour and get on...the tour is much improved with the addition of the video screens on the trams but it is almost too long, especially for a 5 year old...plus it is sunday and the backlot is totally deserted giving no excitement what ever. going thru the king kong and earthquakes sets reminds me how all theme parks can stretch out an idea way too long without updating it(ie ellen's energy adventure, living seas)...i don't want some rides to ever change and consider them classics(pirates, haunted mansion)..did not use VIP because there was no wait.
i took the boys to terminator 3D and the girls went shopping. there were some people waiting to get in but an employee directed me to the VIP entrance..will the passes finally help us?..we follow and enter this room and this girl tells us to sit and wait for a minute...five or six minutes later she comes and get us. we enter the preshow and are placed at the very front of the preshow area..unfortunately we could hardly see the character talking on a balcony above us because the crowds was all pack to the front. the sinking feeling(along with the meatball sandwich i had for lunch) had now made its way up to my mouth. i was again worried that the boys would get scared but the 5 yo loved it. very good show and enjoyed watch rusty1 and rusty2 grabbing at air for things showing on the screen...
the lower lot is probably 300 feet lower than the main upper lot so you have to take all these escalators down...tough when you have a couple of strollers....we take the VIP entrance to backdraft(saved us about 3 minutes) and see the worst piece of crap passed off as an attraction.. i can't believe ron howard would even show his face on the commentary he gave on TV monitors during the show. plus, we were at the very back and could barely see the actual main show of an uncontrolled fire(which was brief and very anticlimatic)..
our VIP passes actually helped as rusty1 and I saved about 15 minutes on Jurrasic Park....i've ridden this ride in orlando also and was very disappointed the first time i rode it...i had read on a discussion board how the original in hollywood was so much better so i had high expectations....except for the final encounter with Trex and the plunge, the rest of the ride was as lame as orlando's version. i know splash mountain is not as steep or long as jurrasic's drop, but splash is more thrilling because you are in a smaller ride vehicle and you think your head is going to crash in the thorn bushes....
finally, made it to spiderman rocks! and were shown our seats in the VIP area, again not anything spectacular where we were placed...in fact, before the show began, they let the "smart" people of the world without these passes sit with us...how dare they??!!! MY BADGE OF PRIVILEGE HAD BECOME MY BADGE OF STUPIDITY. the spiderman show was ok. although tarzan rocks has its critics, i've always kinda like it and the music is great. of course, i think my wife likes it because of tarzan. the jane(s) i always have seen have never been as good looking in comparison to the guy. no fair!
we go back to the nickelodean area and let the kids soak themselves in the water area. it was funny watching them walk back to the car with their legs spread apart so their wet underwear wouldn't rub...
we swam for an hour that evening. the main pool was crowded and cold..the smaller pool actually was warmer but boring but we had it to ourselves. don't stay at this hotel just for the swimming .. we ate that nite at rainforest cafe and had a very good meal..the best rainforest as far as theming i have been to(definately better than AK or DTD)..watched the fireworks from the balcony again as i blow dried the kid's wet shoes as the pixies from the border of our room fluoresced...how magical!
overall, i felt ripped off. i tried to do something special and it cost me a $225 lesson. i wanted to complain but what could i say. universal hollywood is a poorly run, unclean and untidy park compared to disney, and overall a waste of time..even though i have always enjoyed universal orlando, the whole universal experience has left a bad taste in my mouth(mostly consisting of stomach acid and bile)...i wish we had spent the day at disneyland because it didn't rain....the lessons we learn...and as john denver sang, "some days are diamonds, some days are stone."
