Florida 2022 - Day 2

 Wow... that is all I can say about the Velocicoaster.  And what a day we had today.

The adults got up at 7am with the plan to leave the hotel at 7:45.  Things were a little delayed when B and T did not want to get out of bed at 7:30.  I don't blame them, I didn't want to either...

We had breakfast in the hotel with the things that we bought at Whole Foods the day before.  We eventually left the hotel shortly after 8 and made the walk to Islands of Adventure to start our day of amusement park attractions.

First off was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  The line was only 25 mins long and the kids were very excited to see many of the characters that they had heard about while reading the books with MBM.  Next up - Flight of the Hippogriff.  B was super excited to see an animatronic bird (which AA just learned is called a Hippogriff) but didn't enjoy the long line.  

B gives two thumbs up for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

B and T were tall enough to ride on their own - in the front row of Flight of Hippogriff!

Then it was a short potty break (and sunscreen application) and off to the Ollivanders to watch a demonstration of how a wand chooses its owner before making a short walk to Poseidon's Fury - a special effects experience where you walk through different rooms with some animations mixed with pyrotechnics, water and one actor.  It was a nice break from the heat that was building.  

AA wants to know how much water pressure is needed to create the water tunnel

Then it was time for lunch.  Lola was smart enough to make a reservation at Mythos Restaurant where the crew had an amazing Greek meal.  AA loved his grilled chicken couscous bowl.  And the AC was nice as well.

T wanted soup...and he got soup.  It looked good.

After lunch, the team made their way to Jurassic Park to go on the water ride "Jurassic Park River Adventures".  T was concerned that he was going to get wet and the adults convinced him that he might get "a little wet".  The adults weren't wrong, but they may not have given the correct impression of how we he might get...

The ride was great and is a top ride as voted by the kids.

*Correction - T says his favourite was the Flight of the Hippogriff.  My mistake...

It was then time to go and see a baby velociraptor.  When the Animal Control Officer asked B if she had any questions, she confidently responded with "no, I know everything about velociraptors".  The ACO then took off his vest and offered it to B, saying she was clearly qualified to have his job.  Well played!

Lola was apprehensive of taking a photo with a baby Velociraptor

After saying good-bye to the baby velociraptor, the group split up so the adults could go on the Velocicoaster as a trial run to see if B might be able to handle the newest roller coaster at Universal Studios.  The coast was by far the best the adults had been on but it is unlikely that B will be able to handle the ride - it is quite intense.

DD gives two thumbs up!

The kids and MBM spent some time in the Jurassic Park play ground and Lola, AA and DD made their way back to the kids while they rode the Pteranodon Flyers ride.  This was T's favourite ride, saying he really enjoyed how smooth the ride was.

After a short trek through the cave in Camp Jurassic, the gang went to Skull Island: Reign of Kong.  They needed some time out of the sun and heat with a 3D adventure.  T was immediately skeptical of the ride when the entrance was full of skulls and quite dark.  However, DD managed to talk him through his fears and he went on the ride without much anxiety.  The ride didn't rate among the best in anyone's books but was still a good break from the Florida heat.

After exiting the ride, it was a decent walk to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for supper.  Lola was concerned that there might be a wait since they couldn't make a reservation.  However, with seating for 1,200 patrons, it was not an issue and the only wait was to go from the front desk to the check-in desk.  And the food was amazing.  T was very excited for some nachos as an appetizer.  And B devoured her chicken tenders and fruit.  And Uncle AA's garlic bread since he was having enough carbs in one meal with mac and cheese.

Fajitas!

More fajitas!

After a well-needed break, the crew went to Universal Studios and took the Hogwarts Train back to Islands of Adventures and then on to the boat (shuttle) back to the hotel.

Now, the kids are finishing up their travel journals at the same time as AA is wrapping up this post.  I am hopeful that it will be an early night so that we can have another full day, this time at Universal Studios.

AA