Chapter 5 – Sunshine state
Another long exhausting trip completed and probably the last really long tiring trip we would have to bus on before our flight home, we were happy to finally be in Florida. Known as the sunshine state for good reason, the sun always shone while we visited and the heat pounded us with a day hitting 100F before humidity was added. Arriving at the greyhound station we had no idea how far everything was from where we were situated which resulted in us making a very useful phone call to the Orlando transit authority who sorted us out. He said; take the 25 from just outside the greyhound all the way through to the central lynx bus stop. From there we must board the 50 which would go through to Disney’s transit bus station where we would then need to pick up bus 56. Traveling along bus 56 for nearly 30minutes we made into Orlando old town where we would then need to catch bus 55 that would travel back over the freeway towards the western part before stopping just outside our inn called Master’s Inn. Having left 3 and half hours ago from greyhound we were relieved and happy to finally reach home and set our bags down immediately before going for a swim in our backyard pool. And then we set off to begin this amazing adventure of theme park paradise.
Since we had a bus pass and some hours to kill before sleep ensued we decided to go and explore the Disney City walk – possibly Disney’s response to the universal city walk. As it was my first experience of Disney and things this side of the world are so overdone, we were in awe of all the shops and décor and buildings and themes and so on… I suppose my favorite sighting was the Lochness built entirely of Lego in the lake which surrounded the city walk. We rushed this visit a little as the bus schedule we had found and the amount of travel it required for us to return to our home was slowly melting away until we found at 10:00pm that we were on the wrong side of the highway with no transport home. Stressed out and frustrated with the buses we walked over to the nearest hotel to try and phone for a taxi and just around the corner our saving grace drew near in his yellow chariot offering us a lift for $10. We accepted relived and made it home to our snug beds where sleep took over as my birthday was just around the corner. Not knowing what stood ahead of me with the parks and being thrilled and entertained by just about everything we saw and did, I will try to summarize each park experience as aptly as possible. Forgive me if you tire from being over indulged.
Finally, my 27th birthday arrived and we were in Disney heading for my first park known as Magic Kingdom where Walt Disney brought to life all his characters and where I would spend the day for free. Waking up as the sun rose was hard work but essential for us to eat our free buffet breakfast and for us to catch our free shuttle bus to the park entrance to arrive before the opening happened. Arriving a little sleepy but pumped up with birthday adrenaline, we bought our tickets for the next 2 days and joined the thousands of other excited travelers as we awaited the park opening and the morning show with Mickey mouse. One aside, there is no credit crisis visible from Disney as we saw thousands of Americans rushing around these parks spending tons of dollars on souvenirs and meals and kids and so on. Anyway, the train arrived the show began and we were off entering the park and headed straight up towards the palace for a sensational view of Tinkerbelle’s castle. Knowing in advance that the Magic Kingdom was more of a children’s haven, my expectations were still very high and we headed towards Space Mountain where our entertainment and thrills began.
Highlights from our first Disney park visit came from most of the more thrill seeking rides although the smaller ones were enjoyable and filled the time for us. Big thunder railroad is an example of a runaway train with many twists and turns and speed and screams. Splash Mountain on the other hand was an eventful if not unfortunate ride. I say this as a result of the outcome of the ride because we expected water but not the amount with which we received. You see, we had chosen the wrong log and as a result landed with a good 4 litres of water covering our bodies from head to foot. But totally worth it! Monsters Inc laugh factory and Buzz Lightyear were two of the smaller rides which we found fun. Buzz you whiz around in a small car and get to shoot aliens with a laser gun scoring points where I beat Ang twice. Monsters Inc was an interactive presentation using the audience members to help make us laugh hysterically at one particular individual. The last two highlights were much later on in the day since it took us so long to reach that side and we had to wait for the final show. The haunted mansion was the last sort of ride we went on which was thrilling and scary and really creepy so obviously I loved it. Which leaves us with the last event for the day and probably the most memorable, the fire works display beside Tinkerbelle’s castle. An unforgettable show and a simply magical day suddenly came crashing to an end and we were heading home to relax after a successful and tiring day exploring our first park.
Sun is up, and so are we getting ready for our second trip to Disney’s theme parks. Today was all about the movies as we were going to Disney’s Hollywood Studios where they produce and create movies we have all seen and where we would ride and observe shows all about some of my favorite movies. Favorites are so hard to pick when everything is new and exciting but 3 shows which were phenomenal had to have been the Backlot tour we went on first, the Lights! Motor! Action! show with stunts and explosions and Indiana Jones real movie making show with all the movies props. WOW!! The Backlot tour was very memorable as I was the star of the first show being a mechanic on a sinking ship. So enjoyable and I was glad to be part of the experience of showbiz. The rest of the tour resulted in us exploring the props and awards museum, a short ride around part of the lot seeing Disney’s airplane and watching a fireball mudslide right in front of our eyes before returning and walking through the clothing hall. The next huge show was Lights motor action which revolves around the stunts performed in all movies by courageous and brave stuntmen who launch themselves off buildings and through fire and driving cars in circles or flying on bikes and so much more. This was an epic show and I absolutely loved every second of it. Indiana Jones show was unbelievable with 3 separate scenes and changeable sets there was so much action with sword fighting and whips and explosions and rolling boulders… an unforgettable experience but it wasn’t over yet.
We still had to explore the many rides available at this great amusement park. The first of these we were able to experience is known as the Tower of terror where you enter this abandoned and spooky mansion to uncover that a family haunts the mansion from when they died many years early while in the elevator. So we buckle up in our rusty elevator seats and begin the climb higher heading up 3 or more stories before being released and plummeting to our doom. Over and over again until it felt as though we were flying before we safely hit ground zero and were released to go and have some dinner. Ang was feeling a little body sore after being thrown around but she put a smile on and joined me to experience the Rock n Roller Coaster with Aerosmith. Possibly the most thrilling ride I have ever experienced because your entire journey on the roller coaster is indoors and in the dark so you never see exactly what is coming up next. Goosebumps!!!
Three days in a row is just too much but is it really when you are going to experience some magical and unforgettable memories for the rest of your life. No, and this was to be our most amazing day yet as we were heading for Sea World! Absolutely nothing could compare with this spectacular park and I am so glad that we went to see these magnificent creatures and their amazing performances. The start of our day was decided by a nice man called Bob who lead us towards the sea lions enclosure which is designed as a pirate ship in which the lead actors are 2 beautiful and smart sea lions. With some great comedic slip ups and some supporting actor mishaps, the show was hilarious and the sea lions were spectacular as they flopped and flew along the slick surface of the stage/ship. Our next stop was a hurried visit – not the actual show but the time required for us to get to the show as it started 5 minutes after we left the sea lions. Each of the parks has a show to illustrate how they train animals for the big screen and then each of the animals were given opportunities to perform and wow the audience. It was brilliant because the animals did everything in the show and only needed the trainers on stage to be their puppets and hold certain props for them to show off their talent and skills.
The only reason the next show comes in second place on my highlights list for this awesome day will be shared shortly but on any other occasion it would probably top any list. Shamu – the killer whale show – is an epic splendid performance by a family of Killer whales and one special whale known as Shamu. With trainers diving into the depths of the tank being raised to heights unimaginable standing on a killer whales nose they plummet to the water shelter before riding them at high speeds and carefully dismounting to retrieve fishy treats for more spectacular tricks. Bombs and splashes and heart pounding sights control the suspense and magnitude of this show and keep your eyes glued to the tank and the trainers. More goosebumps!!! If this came second I am sure many of you are wondering what could top the list. Well it can only be something so special, so significant and so awesome, something like me touching a bottlenose dolphin as it swam past in its tank on its way to receive some fishy treats. Nothing could beat this, aside from swimming with these magnificent animals. (My heart is skipping some beats)
Two other impressive and simply entertaining shows were the Nautilus presentation of Aqua – an underwater sea adventure – with magical sets and characters who could twist and dance and jump and climb almost anything. The other was the dolphin show which wasn’t as amazing as Shamu having something to compare it with but still absolutely spectacular as these majestic animals flew around their tank at heart pounding speeds releasing enormous splashes with every sky scraping jump and sending trainers flying all over the tank. AWESOME!!! You would think that after a day with all these extraordinary shows and animals that the park couldn’t have much more but you would be wrong. One of the newest additions is known as the Manta – apparently one of the only rides in America which takes you almost horizontal with the earth as you fly up and down and around the coaster. I promise that it is a scary and nerve racking ride putting adrenaline to the extreme but you will never forget the feeling of being like superman and flying with only 2 seat belts holding you in. so naturally I had to go on it. Similarly, I couldn’t resist the ride called the Kraken which is a coaster that exerts enough g force to make your face feel as though it is flopping around and may fall off.
The last amazing ride they had on offer was Atlantis. Since we were at Sea World there had to be a water ride with twists and bends and extreme up hills flying back down into a cool refreshing pool of water. There was so much more we could share and tell you of and we will but for now I have juiced up your appetite from this adventure.
Our next trip was to a water amusement park as the heat was getting to us and Ang said we needed a day just to swim and go on rides without having to take in so much as well. I was so grateful because it gave us enough energy to keep on going but was as much fun as we had already been having. We chose to go to Sea World’s new Aquatica Park which had recently opened and had some spectacular rides none of the others could compare with. I will only share a few of these as I could be here all night writing and you reading of the amazing rides. Firstly there was the dolphin plunge which was a short super tube that traveled through a dolphin tank with transparent tubing allowing the rider to pass by and see dolphins swim past on their descent to the pool. Secondly there was the Tassie Twisters which were two tube rides that sent you hurtling down on a tube into what can only be described as a big loo where we traveled around until we flushed out onto the lazy river. Next came the Taumata Racer’s which was a slide ride with a blue mat that you lay on and shot down the slide in a race against 8 other hopefuls. Lastly there was a brilliant ride which required you to wear a life jacket for luxury and comfort more than safety. Similar to the lazy river concept but with rapids and shoots you float around this designated route in your jacket relaxing with or racing those around you.
Our time was quickly coming to an end in Orlando and Disney but it would not end until Ang and I traveled to Universal studios. so on our last park day we chose to head further away from home towards the great expanse of the big Universal theme parks where incredible rides and coasters create blood curdling screams of joy and excitement. Unfortunately our financial situation meant we couldn’t explore both magnificent parks but that wouldn’t hamper our experience. There was so much to do and we had less time to do it in as with the other parks because of our transport and the park times for that week. Rushing a theme park sounds outrageous and so we decided that we would explore as much as we could in the day, turns out we walk quite fast and were able to see and do everything. Like the new Simpson’s ride which was exactly like being on a roller coaster but you were actually just sitting still in a simulator- this left Ang feeling very sea sick! However the Mummy coaster was extraordinary and I had to go on it twice to really capture the experience. Flying around bends and curves and corners and indoors the entire ride following the crusade of the movie whilst speeding about on the coaster. Splendid!
For us the amazing experiences of this park were the shows we got to watch and the rides that were more theatrical than physical. Shows such as Beetlejuice - who managed to bring back his dead cronies for a rocking show, or the real life Twister ride that captures the story of the movie whilst given you first hand experience of what a twister could feel like and did feel like when they made the movie. One of my favorites had to be the Disaster movie show which brings movie life and audience participation while you move about sets and interact with camera men and filming crews making your very own disaster movie for director Christopher Walken. Next fav has to be the jaws experience which looked exactly like the set from the movie and the ride was able to put a kid into extreme fits of tears and nightmares for the rest of his life. Shrek 4D and Terminator 3D were brilliant with new story lines and exceptional graphics these adapted short movies stole the show for my experience of Universal studios. The last show we managed to witness was a make up artistry show with an exceptional yet crazy looking man who had something like 25 years experience in the field working with many actors and directors he didn’t spend too much time elaborating on. The show was interesting and funny with a young girl who couldn’t speak English being the audience participator and resulting in the loony artist making more jokes than make up. It was still a treat having had first hand experience with Lol’s own work. And with that our park experience was over and we headed back to greyhound for our long wait before leaving to Annapolis. One thing I must add is that we were in Orlando about 80 miles from the Kennedy space centre the day the Atlantis shuttle left to go and repair the Hubble and we watched it live trying to see the shuttles big smoke pile as it shot up to space.
Another long exhausting trip completed and probably the last really long tiring trip we would have to bus on before our flight home, we were happy to finally be in Florida. Known as the sunshine state for good reason, the sun always shone while we visited and the heat pounded us with a day hitting 100F before humidity was added. Arriving at the greyhound station we had no idea how far everything was from where we were situated which resulted in us making a very useful phone call to the Orlando transit authority who sorted us out. He said; take the 25 from just outside the greyhound all the way through to the central lynx bus stop. From there we must board the 50 which would go through to Disney’s transit bus station where we would then need to pick up bus 56. Traveling along bus 56 for nearly 30minutes we made into Orlando old town where we would then need to catch bus 55 that would travel back over the freeway towards the western part before stopping just outside our inn called Master’s Inn. Having left 3 and half hours ago from greyhound we were relieved and happy to finally reach home and set our bags down immediately before going for a swim in our backyard pool. And then we set off to begin this amazing adventure of theme park paradise.
Since we had a bus pass and some hours to kill before sleep ensued we decided to go and explore the Disney City walk – possibly Disney’s response to the universal city walk. As it was my first experience of Disney and things this side of the world are so overdone, we were in awe of all the shops and décor and buildings and themes and so on… I suppose my favorite sighting was the Lochness built entirely of Lego in the lake which surrounded the city walk. We rushed this visit a little as the bus schedule we had found and the amount of travel it required for us to return to our home was slowly melting away until we found at 10:00pm that we were on the wrong side of the highway with no transport home. Stressed out and frustrated with the buses we walked over to the nearest hotel to try and phone for a taxi and just around the corner our saving grace drew near in his yellow chariot offering us a lift for $10. We accepted relived and made it home to our snug beds where sleep took over as my birthday was just around the corner. Not knowing what stood ahead of me with the parks and being thrilled and entertained by just about everything we saw and did, I will try to summarize each park experience as aptly as possible. Forgive me if you tire from being over indulged.
Finally, my 27th birthday arrived and we were in Disney heading for my first park known as Magic Kingdom where Walt Disney brought to life all his characters and where I would spend the day for free. Waking up as the sun rose was hard work but essential for us to eat our free buffet breakfast and for us to catch our free shuttle bus to the park entrance to arrive before the opening happened. Arriving a little sleepy but pumped up with birthday adrenaline, we bought our tickets for the next 2 days and joined the thousands of other excited travelers as we awaited the park opening and the morning show with Mickey mouse. One aside, there is no credit crisis visible from Disney as we saw thousands of Americans rushing around these parks spending tons of dollars on souvenirs and meals and kids and so on. Anyway, the train arrived the show began and we were off entering the park and headed straight up towards the palace for a sensational view of Tinkerbelle’s castle. Knowing in advance that the Magic Kingdom was more of a children’s haven, my expectations were still very high and we headed towards Space Mountain where our entertainment and thrills began.
Highlights from our first Disney park visit came from most of the more thrill seeking rides although the smaller ones were enjoyable and filled the time for us. Big thunder railroad is an example of a runaway train with many twists and turns and speed and screams. Splash Mountain on the other hand was an eventful if not unfortunate ride. I say this as a result of the outcome of the ride because we expected water but not the amount with which we received. You see, we had chosen the wrong log and as a result landed with a good 4 litres of water covering our bodies from head to foot. But totally worth it! Monsters Inc laugh factory and Buzz Lightyear were two of the smaller rides which we found fun. Buzz you whiz around in a small car and get to shoot aliens with a laser gun scoring points where I beat Ang twice. Monsters Inc was an interactive presentation using the audience members to help make us laugh hysterically at one particular individual. The last two highlights were much later on in the day since it took us so long to reach that side and we had to wait for the final show. The haunted mansion was the last sort of ride we went on which was thrilling and scary and really creepy so obviously I loved it. Which leaves us with the last event for the day and probably the most memorable, the fire works display beside Tinkerbelle’s castle. An unforgettable show and a simply magical day suddenly came crashing to an end and we were heading home to relax after a successful and tiring day exploring our first park.
Sun is up, and so are we getting ready for our second trip to Disney’s theme parks. Today was all about the movies as we were going to Disney’s Hollywood Studios where they produce and create movies we have all seen and where we would ride and observe shows all about some of my favorite movies. Favorites are so hard to pick when everything is new and exciting but 3 shows which were phenomenal had to have been the Backlot tour we went on first, the Lights! Motor! Action! show with stunts and explosions and Indiana Jones real movie making show with all the movies props. WOW!! The Backlot tour was very memorable as I was the star of the first show being a mechanic on a sinking ship. So enjoyable and I was glad to be part of the experience of showbiz. The rest of the tour resulted in us exploring the props and awards museum, a short ride around part of the lot seeing Disney’s airplane and watching a fireball mudslide right in front of our eyes before returning and walking through the clothing hall. The next huge show was Lights motor action which revolves around the stunts performed in all movies by courageous and brave stuntmen who launch themselves off buildings and through fire and driving cars in circles or flying on bikes and so much more. This was an epic show and I absolutely loved every second of it. Indiana Jones show was unbelievable with 3 separate scenes and changeable sets there was so much action with sword fighting and whips and explosions and rolling boulders… an unforgettable experience but it wasn’t over yet.
We still had to explore the many rides available at this great amusement park. The first of these we were able to experience is known as the Tower of terror where you enter this abandoned and spooky mansion to uncover that a family haunts the mansion from when they died many years early while in the elevator. So we buckle up in our rusty elevator seats and begin the climb higher heading up 3 or more stories before being released and plummeting to our doom. Over and over again until it felt as though we were flying before we safely hit ground zero and were released to go and have some dinner. Ang was feeling a little body sore after being thrown around but she put a smile on and joined me to experience the Rock n Roller Coaster with Aerosmith. Possibly the most thrilling ride I have ever experienced because your entire journey on the roller coaster is indoors and in the dark so you never see exactly what is coming up next. Goosebumps!!!
Three days in a row is just too much but is it really when you are going to experience some magical and unforgettable memories for the rest of your life. No, and this was to be our most amazing day yet as we were heading for Sea World! Absolutely nothing could compare with this spectacular park and I am so glad that we went to see these magnificent creatures and their amazing performances. The start of our day was decided by a nice man called Bob who lead us towards the sea lions enclosure which is designed as a pirate ship in which the lead actors are 2 beautiful and smart sea lions. With some great comedic slip ups and some supporting actor mishaps, the show was hilarious and the sea lions were spectacular as they flopped and flew along the slick surface of the stage/ship. Our next stop was a hurried visit – not the actual show but the time required for us to get to the show as it started 5 minutes after we left the sea lions. Each of the parks has a show to illustrate how they train animals for the big screen and then each of the animals were given opportunities to perform and wow the audience. It was brilliant because the animals did everything in the show and only needed the trainers on stage to be their puppets and hold certain props for them to show off their talent and skills.
The only reason the next show comes in second place on my highlights list for this awesome day will be shared shortly but on any other occasion it would probably top any list. Shamu – the killer whale show – is an epic splendid performance by a family of Killer whales and one special whale known as Shamu. With trainers diving into the depths of the tank being raised to heights unimaginable standing on a killer whales nose they plummet to the water shelter before riding them at high speeds and carefully dismounting to retrieve fishy treats for more spectacular tricks. Bombs and splashes and heart pounding sights control the suspense and magnitude of this show and keep your eyes glued to the tank and the trainers. More goosebumps!!! If this came second I am sure many of you are wondering what could top the list. Well it can only be something so special, so significant and so awesome, something like me touching a bottlenose dolphin as it swam past in its tank on its way to receive some fishy treats. Nothing could beat this, aside from swimming with these magnificent animals. (My heart is skipping some beats)
Two other impressive and simply entertaining shows were the Nautilus presentation of Aqua – an underwater sea adventure – with magical sets and characters who could twist and dance and jump and climb almost anything. The other was the dolphin show which wasn’t as amazing as Shamu having something to compare it with but still absolutely spectacular as these majestic animals flew around their tank at heart pounding speeds releasing enormous splashes with every sky scraping jump and sending trainers flying all over the tank. AWESOME!!! You would think that after a day with all these extraordinary shows and animals that the park couldn’t have much more but you would be wrong. One of the newest additions is known as the Manta – apparently one of the only rides in America which takes you almost horizontal with the earth as you fly up and down and around the coaster. I promise that it is a scary and nerve racking ride putting adrenaline to the extreme but you will never forget the feeling of being like superman and flying with only 2 seat belts holding you in. so naturally I had to go on it. Similarly, I couldn’t resist the ride called the Kraken which is a coaster that exerts enough g force to make your face feel as though it is flopping around and may fall off.
The last amazing ride they had on offer was Atlantis. Since we were at Sea World there had to be a water ride with twists and bends and extreme up hills flying back down into a cool refreshing pool of water. There was so much more we could share and tell you of and we will but for now I have juiced up your appetite from this adventure.
Our next trip was to a water amusement park as the heat was getting to us and Ang said we needed a day just to swim and go on rides without having to take in so much as well. I was so grateful because it gave us enough energy to keep on going but was as much fun as we had already been having. We chose to go to Sea World’s new Aquatica Park which had recently opened and had some spectacular rides none of the others could compare with. I will only share a few of these as I could be here all night writing and you reading of the amazing rides. Firstly there was the dolphin plunge which was a short super tube that traveled through a dolphin tank with transparent tubing allowing the rider to pass by and see dolphins swim past on their descent to the pool. Secondly there was the Tassie Twisters which were two tube rides that sent you hurtling down on a tube into what can only be described as a big loo where we traveled around until we flushed out onto the lazy river. Next came the Taumata Racer’s which was a slide ride with a blue mat that you lay on and shot down the slide in a race against 8 other hopefuls. Lastly there was a brilliant ride which required you to wear a life jacket for luxury and comfort more than safety. Similar to the lazy river concept but with rapids and shoots you float around this designated route in your jacket relaxing with or racing those around you.
Our time was quickly coming to an end in Orlando and Disney but it would not end until Ang and I traveled to Universal studios. so on our last park day we chose to head further away from home towards the great expanse of the big Universal theme parks where incredible rides and coasters create blood curdling screams of joy and excitement. Unfortunately our financial situation meant we couldn’t explore both magnificent parks but that wouldn’t hamper our experience. There was so much to do and we had less time to do it in as with the other parks because of our transport and the park times for that week. Rushing a theme park sounds outrageous and so we decided that we would explore as much as we could in the day, turns out we walk quite fast and were able to see and do everything. Like the new Simpson’s ride which was exactly like being on a roller coaster but you were actually just sitting still in a simulator- this left Ang feeling very sea sick! However the Mummy coaster was extraordinary and I had to go on it twice to really capture the experience. Flying around bends and curves and corners and indoors the entire ride following the crusade of the movie whilst speeding about on the coaster. Splendid!
For us the amazing experiences of this park were the shows we got to watch and the rides that were more theatrical than physical. Shows such as Beetlejuice - who managed to bring back his dead cronies for a rocking show, or the real life Twister ride that captures the story of the movie whilst given you first hand experience of what a twister could feel like and did feel like when they made the movie. One of my favorites had to be the Disaster movie show which brings movie life and audience participation while you move about sets and interact with camera men and filming crews making your very own disaster movie for director Christopher Walken. Next fav has to be the jaws experience which looked exactly like the set from the movie and the ride was able to put a kid into extreme fits of tears and nightmares for the rest of his life. Shrek 4D and Terminator 3D were brilliant with new story lines and exceptional graphics these adapted short movies stole the show for my experience of Universal studios. The last show we managed to witness was a make up artistry show with an exceptional yet crazy looking man who had something like 25 years experience in the field working with many actors and directors he didn’t spend too much time elaborating on. The show was interesting and funny with a young girl who couldn’t speak English being the audience participator and resulting in the loony artist making more jokes than make up. It was still a treat having had first hand experience with Lol’s own work. And with that our park experience was over and we headed back to greyhound for our long wait before leaving to Annapolis. One thing I must add is that we were in Orlando about 80 miles from the Kennedy space centre the day the Atlantis shuttle left to go and repair the Hubble and we watched it live trying to see the shuttles big smoke pile as it shot up to space.
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