My Day at Universal Theme Parks

I spent the day in Orlando at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I had a great time. As I neared Universal it started raining fairly hard. I thought it might ruin my day but turned out to be a godsend.

I parked my car and started the long trip on the people mover to the park. I went to guest services and got a complimentary pass for both parks. It was still raining a bit as I entered the park.

I took a quick trip to the back lot of New York to find the stage for The Blues Brothers. The whole reason for this trip is because my friend Dan was playing Elwood today. I found the stage and went off to see some attractions.

The first attraction I visited was Revenge of the Mummy. It's a great ride based on the movie of the same name.  I walked right in and got on with no wait. Off went our car. We passed through some Egyptian displays and then the car plunged into the dark, turning into a roller coaster in pitch black. I had no idea what to expect as this was my first time experiencing this attraction.

Then I headed over to see Twister…Ride It Out. Again, I walked in and right into the auditorium for the show. It was interesting, but I'm in no rush to see it again soon.

It was time for the first Blues Brothers show so back to the New York back lot. It started misting, so they delayed the start of the show. They ended up doing a condensed version. Danny was great. It's a role completely different from anything he did at Busch Gardens. Danny told me to be sure to return for the 2:15 show.

I headed off to other parts of the park. I saw Shrek 4-D (excellent), Back to the Future, and Men In Black Alien Attack, all in rapid succession. With the rain there were no lines anywhere in the park.

I grabbed a quick lunch. Hot dog + french fries + small root beer = $9.68. And that was one of the cheapest meals I saw anywhere. The hot dog was a Nathan's. I had it with kraut and dressing, like a reuben.

Then it was back over for another Blues Brothers show. This time they did the full show.

I went back out into the park and saw some more wandering and a bit of shopping. I didn't buy anything but it was fun to shop.

I went back for the 2:15 show and it was even better than the previous two. There was a warm up act and and extended version of the show. I talked to Danny after the show.  I gave him a good bye hug and headed for the exit.

My next stop was Islands of Adventure.

I grabbed a quick ride on the front row of The Hulk followed by a visit to the Spiderman attraction. I circled around the park and explored some areas that were closed the last time I was there. I took a ride on the Fire Dragon and headed for the exit. It was time to head for home.

It turned out to be a great day to be at Universal. The rain was a bit annoying at times. I never got really wet. Just slightly damp for a while. The best part of the rain is that it kept the crowd to an absolute minimum. There were no lines in either park. If there were normal crowds I wouldn't have done nearly as much as I did.

Ten dollars to park, ten dollars to eat, and about ten dollars worth of gas. Two theme parks and a visit with my friend Danny. One of the best days I've had in a long time.