Yesterday Today

Now this was a DAY! Early morn had Kathy driving me to Budget to pick up my little rental car. I got a cute electric blue Toyota Yaris. Easy enough to acclimate to and I left from Budget's office to Port Orleans where I was to meet Nikki, Kevin & Dana. I was venturing into the unknown having never been to the resorts area. I followed the signs and didn't see Port Orleans listed anywhere but deduced it was under Epcot Resorts. Sure enough as I got closer, Port Orleans showed up on the directional signs. I pulled in, showed ID and then went to the "front". Not seeing Nikki, I called her and discovered - much to my dismay - Port Orleans is split into 2 divisions..."Riverside" & "French Quarter" - I was at Riverside. They, at French Quarter. I had to figure out my way around and finally reached them. Then I kept taking the wrong way to Universal. A lot of "Mommm!" Yeah...this was fun....NOT!

I was very happy to see Universal and parked the car. Whew! Have to admit, Universal is not as organized as Disney but after getting through security and check-in, it was pretty smooth going from there on in.

Harry Potter "Land" was definitely the highlight! Stupendous job they did in recreating the image of Hogswart and all. It was - literally - like stepping into another dimension. Incredible! We dined at The Leaky Cauldron and that was fun. I tasted Butter Beer thanks to Dana who ordered it. It was good...like a buttery cream soda. I myself enjoyed Peachy Fizzy Ice Tea. Three of us had the "banger" - some with peas & mash.

Most of the rides are thrill rides which isn't really my thing but I went along with the exception of 2. I found if I closed my eyes, I could handle it. Yeah...I know...chicken...but I'd rather do that than be sick. We started on The Universal Studios side...starting with The Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride but alas...it was closed for seasonal maintenance. We moved on to Shrek 4D...a ride with 3D glasses that make the "cart" you're in feel as if you're really taking off - hence the closing of my eyes though if I opened them just slightly, I could still enjoy the effects without the full onslaught of terror!

I passed on Revenge of the Mummy - one thrill ride at a clip was plenty for me...I needed a break and while the rest went on to the ride, I walked around the pretty "streets" made to look like iconic Americana areas...like Canal St and The Embarcadero. I slipped into Louie's Italian restaurant and finding it with plenty of seating, got myself a chicken parm and relaxed waiting for the "kids".

The Simpson's Ride was next and Dana opted out saying it made her dizzy when she rode it a few years ago. This made me hesitate though she insisted I would "love" it. I highly doubted it but I went along. Once again...that same kind of 3D and invigorated motion. I did the same thing...closed my eyes...it seemed to be working for me. The feeling I hate the most is the "sinking stomach" sensation...everything else I can handle. I was never a fan of The Simpsons so didn't get all the inside jokes or understand all the characters but it was fun all the same. They are popular enough that even I knew of the major players.

Men in Black was next on the agenda and I was actually willing to join in until we discovered we HAD to put our belongings in lockers! This raised half a red flag in me and then when the lockers were all filled...I knew that was a sign and announced I would babysit their belongings while they went on the ride. Luckily none of the rides had extreme wait times so I was more than happy to sit in the sun while waiting.

Now we were all set to enter the world of "Diagon Alley". And as I mentioned before, this is Universal's "jewel". No doubt about it. Kevin was not a Harry Potter fan so Dana filled him in which helped me immensely. I have read and loved every book even if I didn't see every movie. But I didn't remember all the details so it was perfect to get a running synopsis. When the books had come out, I tried to read the first one and couldn't get into it. Nikki insisted I pushed through. I still remember the moment...we were at King's Plaza (I don't know why) and she implored me to just get through the first chapter and I would be hooked. She was so right! When I closed the book on the very last one in the series, it was with such satisfaction and completeness! Really excellent!

After much oohing and ahhing of the buildings and just all around atmosphere, we dined at The Leaky Cauldron. "Escape from Gringotts" was incredible in that we entered a spectacular creation of a majestic bank! Gorgeous! And the animatronics of the tellers were so life-like! I have to say here...the 3D effects and technology have come such a long way! The ride was harrowing...effects more of a roller coaster than the others before this. But as long as there were no extreme "dropping" - I was good.

We took the Hogwart's Express to Islands of Adventure. To get to the train was much stair climbing and hiking. Felt bad for Dana who was aching from the marathon. But once we got on, and after all the warnings of "claustrophobia" and "blood pressure" - it was mild in comparison to the other rides!

Waiting for "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" was probably the longest of the day. Once again, we had to store our belongings in lockers. And although that didn't bode well in my mind, I didn't want to miss out on a HP ride. Because I was NOT going on the Dragon Challenge roller coaster...I could see the riders flip upside down...People!! Dana bravely agreed to ride with Kevin...this from the girl who didn't want to ride The Simpsons! She did take a Dramamin in preparation...now that is a girl in love! They had to completely empty their pockets (duh...you think?) but this meant they couldn't even keep their cellphones. Nikki & I held on to them but I can imagine how vulnerable you can feel. But Kevin loved the ride so well worth it!

The park closed at 7pm and it was about that time when we were pretty much done. Kevin & Dana went on to grab a cab back to Port Orleans although I would have driven them. Might have insisted if I was more familiar with both the area and the car and the darkness.

The drive back to Kathy & Tony's was not bad...at least I didn't get lost. Maybe. Whatever...I can't remember. But it was wonderful to have Nikki for the evening, for her to see Kathy's new house and just to have some time with her.

I am beholden to Kathy when she agreed to have me return the rental car and Tony would drive us to the airport. Less stress for me. And he got us there in plenty of time and as it turned out, even more time than we anticipated since the flight was delayed almost 2 hours.

Once at JFK, we parted ways, Nikki to a cab back to Brooklyn and I to the train from the plane. Wanting to see how that all worked - it was actually pretty easy and definitely cheap at $7.50.

And there it is. In a nutshell - my week long vacation...:)