DAY 16
WEDS 12th JAN 2000
I attempt
to rouse a rather reluctant rabble at 7:30. After
breakfast we are on our way and arrive at Universal
Studios by 9:00. We head straight for Back To The Future
where India rides for the first time. She really likes
it. I think it was ground breaking in it's time but in
comparison to newer rides it now feels a bit bumpy. It is
still fun though.
Over to Hanna Barbara where we all chase Dick Dastardly
and Mutley through a cartoon. I am rooting for Mutley as
he is a real star in my book, but that fool Dastardly
louses things up again. Georgia really likes this and
would like to ride again.
Twister is next. This is the first time any of us have
done this and we are all very impressed. Georgia's ear
plugs work again.
King Kong sees India and Georgia riding for the first
time and both enjoy it greatly. I've always had a soft
spot for old Kong, it's just a fun attraction.
Earthquake is next, again the first time for the girls,
these ear plugs were a real brain wave.
We walk over to Amity where Grandma and I do Jaws. This
is the first time for Grandma and at one point she is so
startled by the shark that she grabs the leg of the man
next to her. It all ends well as they have a hot date
tonight.
As we walk towards the Woody Woodpecker play area we pass
the Animal Actors Stage. The show is just about to start,
so in we go and enjoy a happy family show. At the end
they bring out a baby chimpanzee complete with nappy.
Tammy says she wants to take it home, funny, I thought we
already had a couple.
On to Woody's Roller Coaster, where Georgia enjoys
herself so much that she goes straight back on again with
India. She has definitely got more adventurous as the
holiday has gone on and we are now thinking that she
might be able to do Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when we
meet Ronnie on Friday.
We are going to do Terminator 2 3D then leave for Islands
of Adventure. Just as we arrive for the pre-show they
shut the door and we are first in line for the next show.
We wait 30 minutes, this is obviously not that long but,
on this holiday of complete walk ons, this seems like an
eternity. They then say that they are having technical
difficulties and we are delayed a little longer. When the
show starts I am a little disappointed as it seems like
just a 3D film until they enter the Skynet building, then
the action really hots up. A very impressive show that I
would like to see again alongside Twister. The only minus
point is that the technical difficulties must have been
with the motorbike as Arnie has to walk on stage. He
looks manly enough anyway.
Off to Islands of Adventure which is only a short walk
away. We are headed for the Enchanted Oak Tavern for
lunch but get side tracked as Georgia wants to ride The
Cat In The Hat again. Tammy rates this better than Pooh.
It is certainly longer and the ride vehicles are better.
We finally make the Enchanted Oak Tavern at 3:00. This is
a very pretty self service restaurant in the roots of an
old tree and does a good job of conveying a magical
feeling. You expect to see an elf or goblin jump up at
any time.
We have the chicken and rib BBQ combo with clam chowder.
The food is fine and we sit at a table on the terrace
outside to finish our beer and discuss the relative
merits of Disney v Universal. As I have said before I
think both should be visited as both have their various
good points. I think that one area that WDW wins in is
that it provides a more fully rounded product. There are
shows, parades, fireworks and entertainment that go on
until late in the evening when the parks close. All that
Universal can offer is the fairly dated stunt show.
Off to Popeye's Bilge Rat Barges. Now, we have learnt the
lesson of the previous day and come prepared with swim
wear all round and a towel to dry off. You can fool the
Stringer's once but you don't get us twice. (All right, a
good trick would probably have us going round in circles
for ages, but we won't talk about that.) We all ride and
then Grandma and Georgia dry off while the rest of us
ride again. Tammy has got mildly damp all 3 times we have
ridden, whereas I have got completely drenched every
time. There is probably some sort of moral to be learned
from this, but I can't put my finger on it.
It is now 5:00 and we are going to ride Spiderman one
last time before we leave the park, even Georgia has
decided to give it a go. We are just about to board when
the ride goes down. They mention something about a 'power
flux'. I think we must be in Back To The Future for a
minute. Doc Brown should come over and feed it some
garbage.
We wait around for 15 minutes but nothing happens, then
they ask us to leave the building A major disappointment
as we have all enjoyed this ride so much.
Back to Dixie Landings and a quick freshen up then off to
Epcot, primarily to watch Tapestry of Nations and
Reflections of Earth. We arrive and hot foot it round to
Japan where we are lucky enough to walk straight into
Tempura Kiku. We have wanted to try this for a long time.
You are seated around a tall bar along with everyone
else, where you watch the chefs prepare your food. We
start with soup which you drink straight from the bowl,
followed by salad with a ginger dressing and rice. Our
main meal is a combination of chicken, beef and shrimp
deep fried in batter. Although very good, it is typical
of eating a lot of fried food in that it becomes fairly
greasy after a while. A nice experience but not one we
will rush to repeat.
With precision planning (all right, it was plain good
luck) we are outside with 5 minutes to spare before
Tapestry of Nations. The girls really have a good time as
they get a lot of attention from the dancers.
We watch Reflections of earth from in front of Italy and
this is the first time we have had a completely
unhindered view. It is very close to perfection. The
music, fireworks, lasers, water, fire and globe are so
well co-ordinated to produce a display of wonderful
quality. In my opinion this is the best show that I have
ever seen at WDW. A Disney masterpiece.
We take a slow walk out as is our usual way and a bus has
us back in bed by 10:30.
Oh yes, Georgia lost another tooth today and the tooth
fairy only leaves $3 this time. Business can't be good in
the second hand tooth market.