Also see Day 1 (two parts), and Day 3.
Report Card continued .............................
RPR Continental Breakfast (Grade B) well the food, which is set up in the Orchid Lounge bar area, is actually an "A" but it is quite pricey. The muffins and danish were exceptional. But $2.50 for a little box of Cap'n Crunch is a little steep. But, you expect prices like this at a resort I guess.
On to USO ...........................
Shrek 4-D (Grade A+) IMHO, this is the the best of all the 3-D theater attractions in Orlando, but they were kinda cruel to Tinkerbell!!!! The way the seats move during the chase scene was a neat feature.
Jimmy Neutron (Grade A+) A great simulator with all the kids favorite Nick cartoon characters. Where else can you find a simulator that does the Chicken Dance! (sorry for giving that one away).
Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone (Grade B+) rollercoaster was very tame for DD12 and DD7, Fieval's Playland was OK (water slide was closed), kids were too old for Barney show (or at least that's what they told us), Curious George play area was also closed, and Animal Planet Live was a little lame, but ET rescued this area from a B- and brought it to a B+.
Back to the Future (Grade A+) this can best be described as Jimmy Neutron on steroids, this simulator was not nearly as rough a ride as I thought it would be based on other comments I've read in the past, but it was loads of fun. DD7 was surprisingly not scared one bit, not even by the dinosaur, and absolutely loved this one.
Twister (Grade C) if I was to pass on any attraction at USO due to lack of time, I would recommend you pass on this one. Just not that interesting, exciting, or realistic (although the flying cow is kinda funny). Although, if it was a real cow and a real tornado, I wouldn't find it amusing.
Earthquake (Grade A-) the intro movie and special effects demo before the ride itself are a little boring and too long, but the ride is fun. Let's just say I found myself being very thankful during the ride that it was ONLY a ride and not the real thing.
Quick break to grade the overall theming at USO (Grade A+) This is a beautiful place to walk around and the "city streets" are very authentic, much more so than what I rememeber at Disney Studios.
Jaws (Grade A) thought about giving this one a "B", but it was too much fun. OK, the shark does look fake but it doesn't really matter. There is a surprise during the ride that will get you a little hot around the collar!!! No other details revealed here.
MIBII (Grade B+) well DW kicked my butt, so maybe that's why I'm not giving it an "A." But I liked Buzz Lightyear a little better than this one. It's still fun, spins more than Buzz, and is more challenging.
T2 (Grade A+) WOW!!! Incredible how they mixed live stunt action and robot props with a quality 3-D movie. This attraction was a big surprise and I left the theater in awe. Due to machine guns and stuff like that, I wouldn't recommend this for the younger set. Definately a PG-13 type attraction.
Beetlejuice/Ghostbusters shows (Grade A) Lots of fun and a nice break from all the walking.
Mel's Diner (Grade B-) Took a long time for the cheeseburgers to come up, but without asking, the CM handed us an order of onion rings as an apology for the wait. Burgers and fries were average, not great but not so bad.
Emeril's Chop Tchoup (Grade A+) Walked right in without a ressie after arriving back to RPR on the water taxi. Requested a table along side the water garden in the middle of the restaurant and request was accomodated. Atmosphere and colors in restaurant are beautiful and service was impeccable. Two waiters serviced our table, other servers brought out food and described what everything was. Shared 1-1-1 egg roll appetizer which was different tasting but good, DH had Hawaiian Chicken which was cooked to perfection, DW had macadamian crusted salmon which was also superb, DD12 had delicious crab cake appetizer with sauce on the side and Emeril's special fried rice which was the freshest tasting fried rice I'd ever tried, and DD7 had tempura chicken kids meal which she said was very good. With a few drinks and no dessert, the tab came to $100, plus gratuity. Not bad for the opportunity to try an Emeril's for the first time.
To be continued ........
Report Card continued .............................
RPR Continental Breakfast (Grade B) well the food, which is set up in the Orchid Lounge bar area, is actually an "A" but it is quite pricey. The muffins and danish were exceptional. But $2.50 for a little box of Cap'n Crunch is a little steep. But, you expect prices like this at a resort I guess.
On to USO ...........................
Shrek 4-D (Grade A+) IMHO, this is the the best of all the 3-D theater attractions in Orlando, but they were kinda cruel to Tinkerbell!!!! The way the seats move during the chase scene was a neat feature.
Jimmy Neutron (Grade A+) A great simulator with all the kids favorite Nick cartoon characters. Where else can you find a simulator that does the Chicken Dance! (sorry for giving that one away).
Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone (Grade B+) rollercoaster was very tame for DD12 and DD7, Fieval's Playland was OK (water slide was closed), kids were too old for Barney show (or at least that's what they told us), Curious George play area was also closed, and Animal Planet Live was a little lame, but ET rescued this area from a B- and brought it to a B+.
Back to the Future (Grade A+) this can best be described as Jimmy Neutron on steroids, this simulator was not nearly as rough a ride as I thought it would be based on other comments I've read in the past, but it was loads of fun. DD7 was surprisingly not scared one bit, not even by the dinosaur, and absolutely loved this one.
Twister (Grade C) if I was to pass on any attraction at USO due to lack of time, I would recommend you pass on this one. Just not that interesting, exciting, or realistic (although the flying cow is kinda funny). Although, if it was a real cow and a real tornado, I wouldn't find it amusing.
Earthquake (Grade A-) the intro movie and special effects demo before the ride itself are a little boring and too long, but the ride is fun. Let's just say I found myself being very thankful during the ride that it was ONLY a ride and not the real thing.
Quick break to grade the overall theming at USO (Grade A+) This is a beautiful place to walk around and the "city streets" are very authentic, much more so than what I rememeber at Disney Studios.
Jaws (Grade A) thought about giving this one a "B", but it was too much fun. OK, the shark does look fake but it doesn't really matter. There is a surprise during the ride that will get you a little hot around the collar!!! No other details revealed here.
MIBII (Grade B+) well DW kicked my butt, so maybe that's why I'm not giving it an "A." But I liked Buzz Lightyear a little better than this one. It's still fun, spins more than Buzz, and is more challenging.
T2 (Grade A+) WOW!!! Incredible how they mixed live stunt action and robot props with a quality 3-D movie. This attraction was a big surprise and I left the theater in awe. Due to machine guns and stuff like that, I wouldn't recommend this for the younger set. Definately a PG-13 type attraction.
Beetlejuice/Ghostbusters shows (Grade A) Lots of fun and a nice break from all the walking.
Mel's Diner (Grade B-) Took a long time for the cheeseburgers to come up, but without asking, the CM handed us an order of onion rings as an apology for the wait. Burgers and fries were average, not great but not so bad.
Emeril's Chop Tchoup (Grade A+) Walked right in without a ressie after arriving back to RPR on the water taxi. Requested a table along side the water garden in the middle of the restaurant and request was accomodated. Atmosphere and colors in restaurant are beautiful and service was impeccable. Two waiters serviced our table, other servers brought out food and described what everything was. Shared 1-1-1 egg roll appetizer which was different tasting but good, DH had Hawaiian Chicken which was cooked to perfection, DW had macadamian crusted salmon which was also superb, DD12 had delicious crab cake appetizer with sauce on the side and Emeril's special fried rice which was the freshest tasting fried rice I'd ever tried, and DD7 had tempura chicken kids meal which she said was very good. With a few drinks and no dessert, the tab came to $100, plus gratuity. Not bad for the opportunity to try an Emeril's for the first time.
To be continued ........
Those are my two favorite shows at Universal. 
