After quite bit of a walk and travelling on travelators the front gate appeared before them and THERE WAS NO QUEUE which was a miracle of Christmas. The operator gave a tip about the queues lately in the park and so Fast Passes were purchased for the day. This allowed a shorter lineup time and early entry to rides. The park map had planning marks on it as the day unfolded.
First stop was the Shrek theatre and this was fun with shaking seats, squirting water and some fans blowing until the part in the story that used spiders, LOTS OF SPIDERS, and suddenly there were things touching legs and clothing and the whole theatre erupted in screaming and shrieking! Hearts and pulses were pounding and soon after the ride finished with both girls thankful to make their way into the sunshine. Yesterday was an icy day with a really chill wind blowing at Epcot and today there was little breeze at all and the sun was shining beautifully. Both the girls discussed the possibility of wearing shorts or light clothing tomorrow. Let's hope it works out with excellent weather. Philip could do with a nice day out.
OK back on track for the fun stuff...next on the list to do was the E.T. ride which was just lovely. Of course the public rode bikes, just four in a row and four rows! But out the front was the basket and when the ride began up popped ET to guide the way. No really scary bits just laughter and fun. This is where the day nearly came unstuck. Jessica took her mother to the Simpson's ride. Sideshow Bob was the mean dude trying to disrupt everything and hurt Marge, Homer and their family. The ride consisted of a drive-in style double row of cars that all violently jiggled, swerved, jolted, tipped and banked their occupants as the ride unfolded on the screen before them. Alison needed a break after that ride concluded and she threatened to quit. Jessica then went on the MIB ( Men In Black) ride alone!
The Animal Actors show was a wonderful break and the wide range of animals that did their tricks for treats was great to watch. One golden retriever had seen a squirrel and was not paying attention to the trainer and had to be continually refocussed. Happens to everyone who works with animals and children. The otter made an appearance and a pleasant surprise was a grey persian cat. It was required to do a lengthy run and complete a number of tasks before reaching its reward dish of treats. The pig " hogged the stage" and the pug from MIB was very cute in his little costume. Marley, from Marley and Me, was there as were a number of other dogs that Jessica could rattle off from their respective claims to fame.
The day wouldn't be complete without a trip to the candy store, in the New York section of the park, where Jessica reacquainted herself with her old faithful buddies the gummy bear family. She loves them and has been without any for quite a while. Back on the ride trail it was straight out the candy door and into the Disaster ride. Much like the movie world ride where the audience participates in the making of a short clip that is added to a storyline and then played during the final stage of the ride. While scary it was screaming fun with flames on one side and floods of water on the other plus a semitrailer hurtling towards the carriage before erupting into flames, it all ended well and plenty of chatting and laughing on the way out.
Despicable Me was a happy ride for kids and adults alike. Again the simulation theatre with the jiggling and jolting but not as violent as the Simpsons. From here it was up the road to the Twister ride. The movie intro told of the difficulties of making the movie and then after watching some clips from the movie the audience got the experience the full effect of a Twister. Rain and wind and sparking electrical cords all helped to make the scene very realistic. SO good the girls went straight out and got back in the line to do it all again! The rides ended with another ET trip and then it was outside to find a spot to watch the parade.
The parade was made all the better by the nice young couple who, together with their two year old son, all decked out in his best clothes, sat with Alison and Jessica. Watching this little boy stare at the characters and high five the ones who came up to him made the whole event delightful. A park bench to sit on and the fact that for about five minutes the whole parade stopped in front of our spot while the drummers and dancers and acrobats did their thing was the icing on the cake for the day!
On arrival "home" the Hotel provides a hot meal for in-house guests Monday to Thursday, so Alison and Jessica were able to participate in dinner. Philip had a restful day and all are ready to hit the Universal Islands of Adventure tomorrow.
A great day for all by the sound of it!!! Mother daughter bonding is extra lovely!!! have another great day tomorrow!!!
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