Vacation!

Josh and I have been in Florida for the past three days and it has been great.  We arrived late Monday around 9 p.m. Florida time.  We got our rental car with no problem and headed out except my GPS decided we were still in Texas.  I had to reset it to get it realize we’re in Orlando.  It finally got us to the hotel and we checked in easily – they were actually waiting on us as we were the last reservations to check in for the day.  The hotel is nice (except the elevator is worn and seems a bit rickety) but the rest of it is very modern.  We’re staying at the Hyatt Place right across from the theme parks.

On Tuesday morning we headed out for the long walk to the park.  We could have taken a shuttle, but we wanted to get in right when the park opened.  We spent day one at Universal Studios.  We rode the new coaster “Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket” first thing and were lucky enough to get a seat in the front.  You’re supposed to be able to listen to music as you ride but it didn’t work the first go round.  We then hit some other rides like “The Mummy”, “Disaster!”, “Jaws”, “Men in Black”, and “Twister”.  We then took a second ride on the coaster and this time we got to hear the music as we rode so it was pretty cool.  It’s a nice ride.  We were finished by 1:00 that day and decided there wasn’t anything else we wanted to do there so we headed out.  We stopped to eat at an Italian place on the City Walk and then headed back to the hotel.

We took naps, then I took a shower and then we went to the mall for a bit.  I found new sandals and two new books.  We then went to eat at Don Pablos which has Mexican Food and it was decent – for Mexican food that is.  We were going to play some miniature golf but a storm was coming in so we couldn’t play.  We came back to the hotel and I did some web surfing and called it a night.

Today was spent at Busch Gardens.  We left around 8:15 and arrived about the time the park opened at 9:30.  We first rode Montu and there was no wait in line.  It was a great way to start the day.  We then rode Scorpion followed by Kumba which was also amazing.  I tried to get on Shei-Kra (the newest coaster) but it wasn’t opened yet.  So we then headed to Gwazi which is the wooden coaster.  For a wooden coaster, it wasn’t too bad, but I still prefer steel.  We then rode Kumba again and the wild mouse coaster called Cheetah Chase.  Finally in the afternoon Shei-Kra opened and I got a ride in.  It was pretty awesome.  It has a 90 degree drop straight down and the car hangs there for a few seconds before plummeting downward.  It was great!  We took two more rides on Montu – in the back and then the very front which was the absolute best.  We took the Sky Ride across the park and took a final ride on Kumba in the front row in order to get a really good picture.  I have to buy at least one coaster picture on my trips.  By then my feet and legs were aching so we headed out.  I stopped to buy a t-shirt and then we headed back to Orlando.  The drive is a little over an hour. 

Tonight we went to Walmart so I could get a new pair of cheap glasses as I left my pair on one of the rides – or they fell out of my pocket.  We had dinner at Golden Corral but I’m irritated because my credit card was declined.  This ALWAYS happens while I’m on vacation.  While I appreciate the fact that the bank is looking out for my account, it is very annoying when they decline my card and it’s after business hours and I can’t call them.  It’s a card with my local bank so there’s no 1-800 number that I can use to contact them.  Luckily I had cash and I have a back up card just in case, but it still annoys me. 

Tonight I’m going to take a shower, read, and call it an early night – maybe.  Tomorrow we’re going to Islands of Adventure and I’m looking forward to riding The Incredible Hulk.  Tomorrow evening I’m meeting friends of mine from Amarillo that just moved here.  We fly back early Friday morning and then I head out again on Saturday for my class in Denton.  It’s going to continue to be a busy few weeks – but I’m really enjoying vacation right now.