There and Back Again: Florida Day Five

What a day! I'm so tired I don't think I'll be able to write a lot tonight. James and I have been having a hard time sleeping here. Christian came into bed at 4am with a nightmare and while he was able to go back to sleep eventually, James and I tossed and turned until morning. We were supposed to leave early to meet a friend but with the lack of sleep we ended up getting there an hour later than originally planned.

For two years now I've been part of an online gaming club. After the kids are in bed and before James gets home I hang out and play multiplayer games with a bunch of really great guys. This year I've been able to meet some of them as we've traveled various places and today we were meeting my friend Doug who lives in the area. I'm always so nervous and awkward meeting my online friends, the setting and my persona are so different in real life.

Christian's picture of Hogwarts

Jon and Christian on a cowfish

Christian loves these bikes!

Camille stayed home this morning so it was just James, the boys, and I who met Doug at the Islands of Adventure. Doug is awesome! We've been friends for years and he and James get along great too. As soon as we got into the park we headed over to my favorite roller coaster, The Hulk. Christian was too short to go on so Doug and I took Will and Jon on for their first time. The Hulk is fast, smooth, and has a ton of loops and turns. It was so much fun! The boys loved it too. It is also the only coaster that I've seen where you have to go through a metal detector before you go on to make sure you have nothing in your pockets. Maybe because of all the loops?

Doug

The Hulk

Anyway, after the Hulk we went on the Spiderman ride which Christian was able to do too. This is one of the first rides that made James and I really love Universal all those years ago and it still holds up really well. We did a little window shopping too but were soon ready to move on to more rides.

This year we went on two rides that we've never been on, both in the cartoon section. The first ride was the Bilge Rat Barge ride where you take a huge raft down a rapid river. Will stayed off because he didn't want to get wet and that was a wise choice because everyone else got soaked! And I mean completely drenched. There was not a single dry spot on any of us. But it was so much fun, we were screaming and laughing the entire time. And thankfully it was really hot today so while we squelched it wasn't too uncomfortable.

After the Bilge ride James left to go pick up Camille. While he was gone Doug and I took Jon and Christian on the Ripsaw Falls flume ride, another we'd never done before. Will stayed out once again and I wish I'd told him to get some ice cream or something because it turned out to be a really long line. Actually, this line is the worst I've ever seen at Universal, probably because it is an older ride. The lines were really narrow and tall making it feel very closed it, and there wasn't much to look at while you waited except for two talking heads who were too indistinct to really understand. But while the line desperately needs an update, the actual ride was great. Fast and fun and once again very wet!

The Rip Saw Falls

Time turner

We dripped and squeaked our way over to the Jurassic Park area. We didn't have time for another ride since the lines were long so instead we went into the Camp Jurassic Playground. This is my favorite playground anywhere. There are dark and slippery caves with geysers, towers and slides, a network of rope bridges climbing to the treetops, and tons of little nooks and twists and turns. The boys kept running away from me (in fun) and Doug joined them, racing across the rope bridges and off into the cave.I tried to follow but quickly lost them in the maze of pathways. I didn't care though, it was so much fun just to explore!

Boys in Camp Jurassic

There is a cave system in these rocks

I don't know how long the kids ran and played but it was great fun. Eventually though Will became really thirsty so we left to find some water. As soon as we did James let us know that he and his mom were back at the park so we went to meet up for lunch. In an attempt to find something a little less expensive for lunch we went up to the food court in the city walk. It wasn't actually that cheap but still it was fun talking to each other. Although Camille, Doug, and James were all ganging up and teasing me. This is the real reason I shouldn't meet any of my online friends...

Heading back to the park

James had brought us all dry clothes so freshly fed and dried we set off again into the park. This time we went into Seuss Land and went on the rides there. There were all smaller rides but the kids had fun. And we all went on the tram ride which gave us a nice view of the park. After that we headed off to Poseidon's Fury which isn't really a ride but more of a walk through story. It is really good though and the part where you walk through a tunnel of water was particularly cool.

Hanging out in Seuss land while the kids ride

Jon and Christian enjoyed the Merry-Go-Round

Poseidon's temple

Doug taught Christian to give back massages

By the end of Poseidon's Fury we were all a little tired and Camille in particular was feeling the strain of all the walking. We were ready to head home but wanted to try one more ride before we left. Our last ride was the new King Kong ride which none of us had been on before. The line here was fantastic and really created a great atmosphere before the ride. It was very spooky and some parts and very well done. The ride itself was another one of Universal's signature movie/rides. So part of the ride was shown on movie screens with 3D glasses. Kong and two T-Rexes battled it out while the truck we were on was buffeted and then dropped off a cliff. The ride balanced the movie with real set pieces and great animatronics, including a giant King Kong head. It was so amazing but I completely failed to get a picture.

The entrance to the Kong ride

It was dusk when we exited the ride and definitely time to head home. The walk back to our car was very long but Doug walked us back most of the way while he and James chatted about cars. My initial awkwardness had long since passed and Doug was so nice and friendly that everyone really enjoyed hanging out with him. All the boys gave him big hugs when we left.

James and Doug hang out before we leave the park

Jon used his crystals and potion to create a drink

Christian loved the drink Jon mixed for him

We had a small dinner at our hotel and then got on our bathing suits to finally check out the pools. We went straight for our favorite, the Lazy River. Of course just like last time there was nothing "lazy" about it. The boys ran round and round and had a blast while James and I floated and swam after them. We all went around backwards too which is really hard to do! Especially if you are fully in the water. I tried swimming against the current but the best I could manage was to swim in place. We were having so much fun that we closed out the pool. Next time we'll have to start earlier so we can enjoy one of the many hot tubs too.