Universal Studios Meet, Tuesday 10th

I vote Tuesday at 9 am, and somewhere outside of the place to buy our tickets.

 

I'm just finished with my final itinerary plans and it looks like I'll be going to Islands of Adventure to visit the HP stuff on August 10th. I'll wear a SW shirt, so if you see me, you'll know where I belong! A SW fan as fish out of water in the HP land!!

 

I know!! I have to see how little my paycheck will be this week to determine if I can do.

 

Well, I'll pitch in and wear a Star Wars shirt that day to help make the group more identifiable.

Also, if anybody wants to exchange cell phone numbers, PM me.

 

I'll be the big girl in the floppy hat and with a goomba purse. Unless I decide not to bring my purse. But I will be wearing a floppy hat.

 

Offering a simple suggestion to those who have NOT purchased their tickets for UNIVERSAL yet. Go on-line, tickets might be cheaper than getting them at the gate, and you can print them up as soon as it's confirmed.
I'll be scoping things out at Harry Potter site on Monday and return on Tuesday.

 

Thanks for the suggestion to check on-line. I even got a coupon for a discount on a few ticket options, one being a 3-day Disney park hopper plus a 1-day at Universal (or Islands of Adventure) for $349, plus tax I think. Still pretty expensive. Not sure I can afford it. I'll have to reconsider and check on my budget tomorrow. I might have to do without Islands of Adventure or skip a Disney park or two. I need to keep a minimum of money for food, plus I've got a little shopping list of stuff I want to buy at the C5 store. I'll keep looking into my discount options. I might do a 2-day Disney and 1-day Universal type of deal if they have one. Keep looking, I will.

 

Park to Park ticket for Wednesday ordered!

Unfortunately, they had already jacked the price up to a total of $121.
Oh well, it's the first time in 12 years I'm going to Universal.

Hope to see some of you guys and girls there!

 

Not before.

 

Good news! Found a ticket deal for a 5-day Disney park hopper and a ticket for Islands of Adventure all for $368.43 taxes included. Bought them. That is great! Now my problem is that the ticket for Islands of Adventure was supposed to be an e-ticket and I was to pick up the Disney World tickets at will call. So they asked the date for pick-up and I put in August 17. I will be going Aug. 17-21. But I was expecting to receive the Universal ticket by e-mail and it says in the confirmation "tickets will be available for pick-up on August 17". Oh-oh. I've e-mailed the booking company asking if I could get the Universal ticket sooner, if possible by e-mail. I'm waiting for an answer Hope for the best. If I don't receive an answer before leaving, I'll have to pay high prices to check my e-mails somewhere. I've also completed my CV store shopping list and I only want the postcard set, the beach towel and the Boba Fett CV Show pin, all for $45 plux tax. I also wanted a magnet and coffee mug, but if there's none that says CV on them I won't. And I also want to get the exclusive Disney StarSpeeder 1000 vehicle. It shouldn't cost too much. I may find some other things while there, but I have to be careful since money is tight. Sounds good so far. It seems I'll get to do and buy everything I wanted, so I'm happy.

 

Finally making the call that I'll not try to make it there the day I fly in, and will likely be going Wednesday instead.

 

WEDNESDAY! Lets pick a time and place for those people. 9 or 10? Outside Islands of Adventure?

 

So the company answered my e-mail and said I should receive my e-ticket in 48 hours or less in an e-mail. So I ordered yesterday at around 4:00 p.m. so should receive it by Monday at 4:00 p.m. I hope to receive it during the day today, if not... I will arrive to the hotel tomorrow around 4:00 p.m. so I'll have to check e-mail then and the hotel will probably charge me a fee to do so and I will hopefully be able to print the ticket. So, I should be at Islands of Adventure at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, if all goes well! I'll check my e-mail tomorrow morning as well, before I leave at 6:00 a.m. Hope to see you all there. I'm checking out now as I'll be taking the rest of the day to pack and prepare for the trip.
Have a great trip everyone and MTFBWY.

 

I offhand lean towards 10 on Wednesday as Tuesday will be a heck of a day

 

Have fun today guys!

 

So is 10 good for those of us going tomorrow or do you prefer 9?

 

Left my hotel room at 7:30am and hopped on the I*RIDE Trolley. I went as far as Wet N' Wild as planned. As soon as we crossed the street, a gentleman in a van yelled and asked if we were going to Universal. He picks up guest for FREE! Yes folks, I said for FREE!
There is no catch. He works for tips, but his place of business is "FUN SPOT ACTION PARK". His company's vans are decked out with FUN SPOT decor. His business does it for the guest at no charge.

The number is: (407)446-2346.

Now I know this sounds crazy but a couple of people would not get on because of the FREE service. This morning, I rode the van into UNIVERSAL. The van stopped at parking spot #83. That's the only place the FUN SPOT is allowed to park. I called the number when I was done in the park as instructed and they were there within 15 minutes! That's right folks! And I was taken directly to SEA WORLD! No extra charge! Later, taken back within walking distance of my hotel.
So, if your hotel is off International Drive, give them a call. They run from 8:00 to midnight.
But they are limited to the distances they can run. If you are International Drive, they'll assist you. the vans are clean and the drivers are gentlemen.

Believe me, I was in heaven when Pat told me it was FREE!

 

The frozen "Butterbeer" was incredible!
The "Pumpkinjuice" was fantastic!
"Fish & Chips" at THE THREE BROOMSTICKS were crispy and krunchy!
There's so much more but you'll have to experience it yourself. Don't want to spoil the surprise!

I arrived early enough to enjoy all aspects of THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER.
Arriving early has its rewards. As we were lining up to enter HP, we were issued a "destination pass" (Yes, they are FREE; just a form of line control). You could not get into HP without one. You received the pass ONLY if you were in line. Then, those passes were taken by Universal Staff. And yes, they are counting heads. There is a baracade[sic] preventing people from entering if there are too many guest in the park. As people exit, that many were allowed to enter. There were quite a few staff members making sure the lines were orderly and not blocking through traffic. In my opinion, they did a great job directing people. It made the entire morning worth getting up early to experience it all.

While talking to staff, I was informed that most people arrive around noon and 2:00, hoping that the park isn't too crowded. Big mistake. The way it looked this afternoon, the numbers tripled!

 

I deafened Amos screaming in his ear all the way through Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

 

The Pumpkin Juice is amazing!

 

I'm glad you got to ride it.

If I'd had enough money to go to CV, the US IoA trip is one of the things I would've looked forward to the most. So I'd at least like to hear more about what happened and how the day went.

 

There were a lot of star wars fans there today, it was pretty cool. Anyone else see the sinbad show and notice the four star wars lines? I wondered if that is always part of the show or if they added it just for this week.

 

Whoever I was next to on Forbidden Journey, I'm sorry because I know I was shrieking to high-heaven.

On Hulk too.


And OMG FROZEN BUTTERBEER!!!