Orlando Spring Break

We decided to start out at the front of the park and check out the Twister Ride, but it was going to be about 10 minutes until the next show started. Someone in line told us that we should go on the Revenge of the Mummy ride before the line got too long because although it is a sweet ride, it's way to brief to wait 1 hour for it. We cruised through the line and rode it, and it was pretty sweet. It's an indoor rollercoaster with special and practical effects, and we enjoyed the hell out of it. The line and ride were constructed in true movie magic fashion, and was a good way to start out the day.

The Twister Ride was more of a stage show than a ride. This picture is of me with Dusty's (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) bus in the movie. First, you get to watch a movie featuring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt where they talk about the real dangers of tornados. They also offer their experiences from shooting the film and working with practical (not computer generated) special effects that made filming the movie seem lifelike. Then you are ushered into a soundstage where they recreate a scene in the movie when a tornado touches down. It gets pretty intense in there; the wind swirls around, sparks fly, things explode, and there's fire and water shooting all over the place.

This place was all full of tricks, and we figured that out near the Men in Black Ride. This model effects shot was set up so that this small space shuttle would appear life size if you stand at the right distance. I made Jenny test it out, then took a comparison picture so that you could see that the shuttle was in fact no bigger in real life than Jenny was. It was a clever little trick, and I was impressed with their mastery of special effects.

Our Dad only lives about 1 1/2 miles from Universal, so we decided to walk so that we didn't have to take my Dad to work then pay for parking. It was a decent walk, and we ended up getting to the park around 10:00 am. The park was already open by the time we got there, but we decided to stop at the giant Universal globe so that I could have my picture taken with my Brewers shirt on, once again to submit it to the failed "Your Brewers are Here" campaign. I wore this shirt for that exact purpose, once again I ended up wearing it for the sole purpose of representing my team and city while visiting a foreign place. And once again, I was ok with wearing it for that reason only.

The park is filled with movie magic, as you would expect Universal Studios to be. This was my first time visiting US Orlando, and the first time that I have been to US since I went to US Hollywood in December of 1999 or 2000. I was eager to look around and see everything that they had to offer, and I was overjoyed that they had a backdrop of New York City on the lot. As you may or may not recall, last spring break, Jenny and I went to New York City with our Dad, so it was fitting that we returned to NYC on the spring break, even if it is fake.

This building that housed the Gotham Ice Company was just a clever facade for the ever popular bathroom ride. For those of you not familiar with the bathroom ride, it's the one where you enter, relieve yourself, wash your hands with soap and water, then dry them off with a towel or an air blower. It's all pretty standard, and the bathroom ride is the most popular ride around the world. It's available in most retail stores, markets, gas stations, office buildings and even in residential homes. Practically everywhere you go, you can find a bathroom ride, and that's what makes it so much fun. Plus, anyone except babies and old people can ride.

After Twister, we headed towards the Fisherman's Wharf/Amity Village Area. I was amazed at how realistic this place looked, and as you know, I have previously been to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and I regularly watch Jaws. We went on the Earthquake ride first, and once again I was blown away because it was just like being in a real earthquake. I am fortunate to have stayed away from most natural disasters, so I'm glad that I can safely experience them for myself in a controlled environment. We then went on the Jaws ride, and Jaws popped out of the water and scared the hell out of Jenny. We then went to the Men in Black ride, and became Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith.

After this, we went on the Men in Black Alien Attack ride, which was by far my favorite part of US Orlando. The inside of the ride is set up just like the MiB headquarters from the movie, and Agent J (Will Smith) explains that he needs you help to fight against the aliens. I was totally thrilled to help out Will, as I have been a fan of his since the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Jenny and I love Will Smith way too much. How much you ask? We even love the movie Wild Wild West. Now that's dedication. MiB rocks, and they made the ride rock as much as the movie did. You are placed into cars of 6 people and given a gun to shoot aliens. The ride is goes through a New York City street, and it is more like target practice than an actual ride. Aliens pop out of virtually everywhere, from trash cans to windows, dark alleys and park benches, and you point your gun and shoot at them. Your score is kept on the console in front of you and the ride twists and turns through the streets as you battle the aliens. I thought that it was really awesome because my favorite arcade game is Area 51, and I pretty much love any game where you have a gun and can shoot things (like Duck Hunt). To combine that with a ride, story, and a movie - pure genius. There was virtually no line, so I made Jenny go one it twice with me. She started getting nauseous because of the spinning and flashing lights, so we decided to call it quite after two times, and made our way towards my favorite attraction in the park.

The exterior of the ride was designed just like in the movie to resemble the World's Fair 1964 grounds in Flushing, New York, complete with the observatory towers that were alien spacecrafts. Why else would they hold the World's Fair in Queens? It was nice to see that some of the elements from the movie made it into the design of this ride. Some architect out there did their homework.