12th September 2018
We were all quite lazy with our actions on this blog. After Mickey’s Not So Scary, we have basically completed everything we wanted to achieve on this journey to the Orange County. We have:
– Returned to Universal, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens on multiple occasions.
– Swam with dolphins at Discovery Cove.
– Visited 2 new waterparks; Volcano Bay & Aquatica.
– Fed a walrus at SeaWorld
– Travelled to Clear Water
– Shopped till I dropped.
– Then finally, returning to the Magic Kingdom for the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
After all of this, there wasn’t much for us to do. So the last few days of our vacation would just be visiting the places that bring us joy and tranquillity. This is the reason why we went back to Universal.
Originally, we were going to visit both parks & also squeeze in a timeslot at Disney Springs, but at the end of the day, this trip has been very exhausting and we overestimated our feet’s ability. We just stayed at Universal Studios.
We were trying to find something new at Universal Studios, so we looked far & wide for it. We stumbled upon a show that I never knew existed. The show was about how the very talented make-up artists do their job for the horror genre. It was very interesting. I watched and giggled, as the use of humour made it a very good show. If you are trying to look for something new too – go to this!
After the show, we awaited the superstar parade. During this time, I met the Simpsons, Scooby Doo & his gang & also Beetlejuice. It was roasting outside. The benches were burning my backside, and the sun was making me a waterfall of impatience. With each drip of sweat, I want the parade to just begin, be over, and for us to seek some shade.
Eventually, the parade began. I saw some characters like minions, Gru and the ‘gurls’ from Despicable Me, Dora the Explorer, and Spongebob – even getting a high five from a rollerskating fish. This parade was fun to watch but quite underwhelming compared to the Disney one. I was expecting more Universal characters such as E.T, Harry Potter and maybe even a T-Rex from Jurassic Park.
After the parade, we utilised E.T’s aircon which was very cooling for my knackered body. It was very relaxing hiding from the sun for a while. E.T broke down, so that increased our time in the line. I couldn’t believe I was waiting 10 minutes for a ride on E.T but I was fine with it. I was still annoyed at the worker for spelling my name as Luis. Why is everyone in America doing that! It is L-E-W-I-S. Lewis. That is a highly popular name, and if you don’t know how to spell it you ask. Rant over. E.T was very peaceful.
We entered the heat zone again, and I was forced into a photo with Go Diego Go. Well, I say forced but I kind of just walked over there myself. After that, I went on a children’s raft ride that I never knew existed. I don’t even care. It kept me away from the sweltering heat.
We then came to the decision to buy one of the refillable drinks which kept me hydrated. My parents finally, bought the lovely looking Simpsons doughnut. It was enormous. How can everyone in Springfield eat one themselves?! We got 2 but very much could have done with 1. It was big, very pink and had light colourful sprinkles all around the ringed dough. It was tasty.
After this, to escape the wrath of the sun, we just went on the Simpsons simulator – one of the best simulators at Universal. We also went on the other ride in the Simpsons area just to say we have.
Then we headed for Men in Black. Another ride that we have been on but not on the 2nd encounter of Orlando. Disappointingly, as soon as we were about to be next in line, the attraction broke. I proposed the idea of waiting a little bit longer to see if it would open back up. Why not? It gave us a colder temperature and we would have been next on. Unfortunately, it was about 20 minutes until the park closes, so they never opened it again.
We wanted 1 more ride, so we just ran up to Diagon Alley, and got on my favourite simulation in the park – Escape from Gringotts. I love that ride! Luckily, I also caught the dragon blowing out a hot jolt of fire on camera afterwards, which was extremely difficult to succeed in catching.
This ended our day at Universal Studios, which happened to just be a day of us trying to avoid the ever-so-hot weather. We never got much done, to be honest. But I am okay with it, as we have done basically everything we needed to do (apart from Men in Black).
We were all getting hungry, so to celebrate an amazing holiday we had our 1st Hard Rock Cafe. A great Hard Rock Cafe to have our 1st was the one on Citywalk. It was fascinating on the inside. With memorabilia of famous rock stars, like Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley and many more. It definitely added to the experience of being in this wonderful restaurant.
I had an Atomic Burger, which was very delicious. A big, juicy, burger with fried onions, jalapeño’s & cheese on it. This came along with a portion of fries and a very nice Chipotle sauce. A very satisfying dinner. Very expensive though! We never let the cost scare us though, as we were always wanting to try this popular food-chain. I also got a Hard Rock Cafe top to remember this delightful occasion.
I also got myself a bag in Billabong – which I laugh at the name – billabongbongbong.
After this, we just went back to the premium outlet as my sister wanted Puma trainers. I never had any money left, so I just dragged my tired carcass around the stores. This ended a pretty good evening, as our trip is getting closer to its conclusion. The next one is our last full day here in Florida and we are going to live through it by going to what I call paradise – Volcano Bay. Then returning to Universal – as we can never say “no” to that place. I hope you give that a read and that you enjoyed this one. See ya soon! Bye!
Lost in Travel 