Sunday, May 9, 2021

Florida: Universal Studios


April 18, 2021: Rude awakening: Our day started at 6:30am, when we were awakened by the sound of the smoke alarms going off in our resort building.  It was awful and ear-piercing.  We all scrambled out of the room and into the parking lot while we waited for news as to what was going on.  It ended up being a faulty circuit, but the alarm kept going off intermittently between 6:30 and 8am.  We have no idea how long it continued after that, because we got ready and took off for our day at Universal Studios Orlando.  



L to R: Aubry, Kaden, Paxton, Versii, Ari and Logan.
The kids had so much fun exploring Universal together.  Especially Harry Potter.
In Orlando, the Hogwart's Express is a train that goes between both parks.
Joshua and Joy, together, side-by-side.
We got front of the line passes for all the kids and for Autumn, but not for Josh or I.  Josh figured, he could use Autumn's to ride some of the rides she didn't want to go on and I can't ride pretty much anything, so what's the point to spend the extra money on me.  Going on the Hogwarts Express to the other park is the only time it would have been nice for us all to have the passes.  But otherwise, it worked out well.  Autumn rode the train over with all the kids, while Josh and I waited in the non-fast-pass line.  It took us 40 extra minutes to get through the line and onto the train.  Times that by several rides in the park and the front of the line passes really allow you to enjoy more rides in a single day than you would be able to otherwise.  We did learn a trick from someone while waiting at the park.  Apparently, if you stay the night at Universal's resort, they will give each guest their own front-of-the-line pass free of charge.  The price tag on those passes varies per day, but it would definitely save money!  Now we know for next time... 
The kids riding the Hogwarts Express.



Hanging out in the world of Harry Potter.


The boys used to love watching Scooby Doo as kids and here they are with the Mystery Machine.
Paxton loves the Simpsons, so he was very excited to visit Springfield! 


Kaden resting after our day at Universal, while Josh, Paxton, Logan and Versii took in a few more rides.

Paxton spent his own money to buy this huge Simpsons donut pillow.  He was so excited!
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I thought that the kids would want to hang out in the park until the evening hours, but they were all tired out by 5pm, so we left the park and ended up at Texas Roadhouse for dinner before going back to the hotel to relax.

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April 19: Autumn and the kids had to be at the airport by 4pm.  The kids were all exhausted from the day before and just wanted to lounge around before it was time to pack.  So we just hung out in the room before taking them to the airport.  It was a great few days with Autumn and the kids.  It was so fun that they could come out to spend time making memories with us.

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