Strong wind and rain overnight, but Hurricane Hermine ended up not being a threat for this area. The only impact was that we'd have rain on and off throughout the day (which again was fine by us).
We woke up to heavy rain that stopped by the time we were ready to walk over to the park. On the way over the path was strewn with palm leaves, mulch, and other natural detritus. I also noticed for the first time these beautiful and alien plants - don't know what they are though:
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| I'll call you Audrey II |
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| Amazing color |
We started off with Universal Studios today, and then took the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure.
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| The sky doesn't look too stable |
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| Not much better over here |
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| We passed by the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium again |
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| An impressive building |
We made sure to catch the first showing of the Terminator this morning since we weren't successful the previous day. We had the same live actress as the day before (and she was still excellent). This time the show went off without a hitch...which isn't saying much because it was so dated. But that's ok - I'm glad I got to see it since it's a classic attraction, and it got us out of the rain for a bit.
After that, we pretty much rode everything again once, sometimes twice, before heading over to Islands of Adventure where we did the same.
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| Back in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter |
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| Gringotts Bank dragon |
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| A look down Diagon Alley |
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| There's the dragon (and Todd at the bottom of the steps) |
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| Not many people in the park due to the rain. Many of the people that were there were holed-up under awnings or in shops/restaurants. Like the previous 2 days, everything was either a walk-on or a 5-minute wait. I tried to convince Todd to get in the sidecar, but he was having none of it. :) |
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| Owl Post in Diagon Alley |
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| Krustyland is not crowded. We rode The Simpsons Ride then for a snack we split a street taco from Bumblebee Man's Taco Truck and ate it at the counter of the Duff Brewery outdoor bar. |
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| The city streets are pretty empty, except for the Mystery Machine and a Simpson RV. It would get a little busier later, but still not bad. We passed the Scobby Doo gang as they were crossing the street. |
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| A look inside the queue area in the Men in Black ride |
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| A last ride on Escape from Gringotts before catching the train and hey, look! The dragon went off! |
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| Todd got these great shots from down the street! Before... |
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| ...and burn! People were concentrated in this area waiting for the dragon to fire. |
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| Goblin banker hard at work |
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| Figuring sums |
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| Taking notice of us Muggles in the lobby |
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| Inquiring as to our financial transaction needs |
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| Just a really cool animatronic |
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| All aboard Hogwarts Express |
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| Here I am, waiting for the train while other people do their thing |
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| Leaving London |
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| Todd on the train (surrounded by young girls on their cellphones the whole time) |
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| Hogsmeade station at Islands of Adventure |
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| Hogsmeade |
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| We decided to eat at the Mythos restaurant for lunch, so we headed over to the Lost Continent section of the park. That's Mythos behind the arm and trident. |
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| Hulk coaster in the background |
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Mythos. "#1 Theme Park Restaurant in the World 'Six Years in a Row'". (Turns out that's 2003-2008)
The food was good and I'm glad we ate there. It was better than standard theme park fare, but not anything amazing - it was comparable to Cheesecake Factory in my opinion. |
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| The view from our table |
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| On the outside looking in |
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| Interior view from our table |
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| Todd's trying not laugh because... |
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| The waitress has a hand print on her ass |
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| Another tour of Hogwarts castle and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I also rode the red side of the Dragon Challenge coaster while Todd held my hat and phone (and it was much smoother than the blue side). |
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| Jurassic splash |
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| Love the Kong theming |
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| Ride sign and entrance |
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| Looking around the lagoon from the deck of Me Ship, The Olive: The Hulk |
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| Seuss Landing |
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| Mythos, Dragon Challenge coasters and just a bit of Jurassic Park |
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| A different view showing Hogsmeade |
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| Panoramic view of the lagoon |
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| Last up: The Hulk |
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| Diving into the tunnel |
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| A look across the lagoon |
Did I mention the maple pecan fudge from Honeydukes? So good - it was the best thing I ate on the trip. I'm drooling just thinking about it now.
Anyway, we stayed until closing (7pm) then went over to Citywalk and had dinner at Vivo Italian Kitchen. Good food in a good atmosphere - it was a great way to end the day and close out the trip. After dinner we walked around Citywalk a little bit and then headed back to the hotel to turn in for the night.
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