I figured that the park wouldn't be too busy on Christmas Eve since people would probably be out doing their last minute shopping and wrapping gifts. Boy was I wrong! When we arrived at Universal Orlando on Monday morning, it was packed! We picked up everyone's annual passes and then headed over to Islands of Adventure with the hopes of seeing the Grinch at some point in the day.
After a quick bite to eat, we made our way back to Seuss Landing to ride some of the kid-friendly rides. Up first? The Cat in the Hat! I believe there was a 45 minute wait once we got in line, but since every ride had long wait times that day, we decided to endure the wait. The kids didn't seem to mind...they were goofing off the whole time.
Bryce had been to Universal only once before, for a media event, and we didn't get to ride many rides then. At first he was a little apprehensive to get in the moving couch, but he ended up loving the ride, as did Rylie. Of course they wanted to go again as soon as we got off, but I convinced them that we didn't want to wait that long for the same ride when there were many other rides to check out. When we came out through the gift shop, Rylie sat down on this chair and let me snap a picture. I didn't even realize it until I was looking at the picture that the t-shirt behind her was perfect for her!
We got in line for The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! next. Again, it was a long line, and the kids continued to goof around. Daddy even joined in this time. Hey, you have to pass the time somehow, right?
The kids had fun riding the trolley over Seuss Landing, and when we exited the ride, there were some characters hanging out. Rylie ran right over to them and gave them both big hugs before she posed for a picture.
Next up was the Caro-Seuss-El. During our wait, Bryce kept telling us that he wanted to sit on the bench. He isn't a big fan of rides, so I was trying to convince him that the moving seats were much more fun. When it was our turn, he didn't put up a fight when I put him on one of the "horses"...
...and he ended up loving it! Rylie, on the other hand, loves all rides, and the faster the better.
When we got off the carousel, we went over to see when the next Grinchmas show was. It was starting in like 15 minutes, so we took a quick potty break before we got in line. When we came out of the bathroom, the line was so ridiculously long that the kids didn't want to wait in it. They wanted to ride more rides! I'm so bummed that I missed out on the Grinch, but I wanted the kids to be able to do what they wanted to that day.
I had mentioned to Rylie that there was an E.T. ride over at Universal Studios, and by this time, she was ready to park hop and check it out. So she took off with Brian while Mama and I rode One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish with Bryce. He was enjoying the rides more and more, so he had no problems jumping into the driver's seat and sending our fish flying through the air.
When we exited the ride, we saw Thing 1 and Thing 2 hanging around. I asked Bryce if he wanted to see them and he said yes. Really??? First Santa Claus and now characters? Awwww...my baby boy is growing up. LOL He wanted me to hold him, though, but at least it's a start. A year ago he would have been screaming and climbing up my neck. He even gave the Things a high five!
Mama and I wanted to get some Butterbeer before we hopped over to Universal Studios, so we got in yet another long line to get a cup of the frozen deliciousness. By the time we got our drinks and made the walk to exit the park, our little companion had apparently had enough. We ended up walking in to Universal Studios with him sound asleep.
On our way over to Universal Studios I received a text from Brian that said "Rylie got scared, so I don't think there will be any more E.T rides today." Five minutes later I got another one - "She's not scared any more and wants you to go with her." Well, when we got to the ride, it was shut down. Rylie was bummed, but when she found out there was a roller coaster she could ride, she didn't seem to mind too much.
When we came off Woody Woodpecker's Nutthouse Coaster, we passed by E.T. and it was open again, so Mama, Rylie and I flew through the air to help E.T. get home. Rylie certainly wasn't scared that time!
By the time we were done with E.T., the park was getting ready to close, so we made our way to the exit. Bryce even decided to wake up for the walk to the car, so he got to see Shrek on our way out.
We had such a fun time, and the kids can't wait to go back! But we'll be going in February...on a weekday...when the lines aren't so long. There is so much to do between the two parks, and I hate spending most of my day waiting in lines.
Disclosure: This post is not sponsored by Universal Orlando in any way. We paid for our annual passes to the park, and I wanted to share with you all of the fun we had.
3 comments:
What a fun day you all had. I can't wait til my grandchildren are old enough to take there.
Wow you all had a ton of fun! I'm looking forward to taking my grandsons when they're older.
Wow I've always wanted to travel for Christmas but can't because of family. Looks like this was your solution! Take the fam with you!
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