Day 10 - Universal and Travels Home

The alarm went off nice and early so we could dress, have coffee and pack up. Chris went to get coffee while I dressed and worked on the suitcases. We were going to check our bags since our flight was at 7:20pm and spend most of the day in the park. It is a great perk that you also get front of the line the day you check out as well. After dropping the bags, we briskly walked to Islands of Adventure to see people already queued to get into the park when we arrived around 6:40am. The lines started moving around 6:45 so we did not have to wait too long. It was odd you didn’t have to show your resort key but later at the entrance between Seuss and Lost Continent you did have to have your key card scanned.

The crowd seemed to all head towards Hagrid’s Motorbikes as few took the left to go Velocicoaster. The queue started in the Lost Continent, worked its way through the Sinbad theater then out in front of train station until you get to the official queue. The line wasn’t moving and announcements were made that the ride was experiencing delays. We decided to wait it out as this would likely cause a two hour wait for rest of the day. When the ride started running, it did move quickly. It ended up being about a 60 minute wait with the delay taking up most of the time. I got to ride on the motorcycle this time and what a ride! Both were fun but I think the motorcycle is better.

The line for Velocicoaster was only 30 minutes so we decided to ride that again. One common annoyance this trip was at most waits yesterday and some today, people squeezed past to get to their parties. This is annoying to us. We always entered together when everyone was ready. I find this to be pretty rude and was surprised how often it occurred. Annoyances aside, it was another great ride and this time I tried to really spots the raptors along the path.

With the two big rides already done, we decided it was time for a little breakfast. I suggested a pastry from Honeyduke’s and Chris added the idea of a butterbeer. We both opted for a pumpkin pasty which did pair nicely with the butterbeer. It was very quiet on the deck behind the Leaky Cauldron with the exception of the occasional screams from the Velocicoaster.

The park was now open for all guests and the crowds were not too bad. We rode Forbidden Journey again since we were right there. Next up was Skull Island. We walked all the way through the Express queue to find one group ahead of us. This is more like it. Unfortunately, the ride was not running. We waited for a bit but decided to bail since we rode it yesterday. The water rides were up and running but we did not want to get wet either day. Next stop was Spider-Man. It was so enjoyable yesterday we wanted to try it again. The queue was much shorter with only about a ten minute or less wait. We felt pretty good about what we accomplished on this side so we went to take the Hogwarts Express to the Universal side.

It is such a cool train ride that connects the parks and you need a two park ticket in order to ride it. We shared a car with a family from England. It was cool hearing them point out the roads as our train neared King’s Cross. It was back to the land of muggles.

Since we did not ride the Simpsons yesterday, it was a must do today. It was another short wait of 15 minutes or so. Today was so much nicer in the park. This ride is one of our daughter’s favorites so it made me miss her. She happened to text me too right as we entered the pre-show. It’s like she knew.

Men in Black is right next door so how could we not ride. I love this ride since it is part game and part ride. Chris beat me both days but I beat him today in the training area for the first time ever. It all came down to the red button speed. Even though he beat me, I’m always glad to beat the other car and be Galaxy Defenders.

Lunchtime was nearing and so was Lombard’s Landing as we were walking. We both thought it would be nice to have a decent lunch and not worry about dinner. If we chose the patio, we were told it would be no wait. Sold! It was a gorgeous day, absolutely perfect to dine al fresco. We both chose the shrimp po boys that were a Mardi Gras special. Chris placed his order first and added French Onion soup so I decided to do the same. The soup and sandwich were very good. The sandwich was loaded with tons of shrimp. A walk after lunch was much welcomed to digest our lunch. We strolled around the park and felt like we were done with rides.

The online ordering was up for Voodoo Doughnuts so the new plan was to grab three to share and have a coffee back at the hotel as our dessert. The bakery was nothing like yesterday and we did not have to wait long for our order. The weather was so nice and it was a lovely walk back to Royal Pacific.

Chris bought two coffees and we enjoyed them with our doughnuts in the lounge area off the lobby. The sample of doughnuts included the Voodoo Doll, ODB and Oh Captain, My Captain. The Voodoo Doll is filled with raspberry jelly, topped with chocolate frosting with a pretzel stake. ODB was chocolate frosting with Oreos and peanut butter. The last one was vanilla frosting with Captain Crunch. The were good doughnuts but would they be worth a 45 minute wait? I would say no. They are really big and very sweet. We didn’t finish them but it was fun to taste them. We spent the rest of the time relaxing and charging our phones.

Around 3:30 we went to look for a taxi to take us to the airport. A taxi was dropping off guests so we used them to take us to the airport. The airport was busy but getting through security was much better using Precheck. It was slow though because a few groups were trying to use it without having it. The terminal was packed and people were sitting all along the window ledges. We eventually found a place to wait for our flight . I went to buy some gum for my ears during the flight but was shocked to learn they do not sell it in Orlando airport. I guess society can’t handle chewing gum. After seeing how dirty the airport was, I am not surprised. The bathrooms were disgusting. Toilets overflowing with waste, toilet paper all over the floor, it was nasty. Tables had trash still left on them. Between the cruise and this airport, I am wondering if people have forgotten how to be in public. I guess they were used to just throwing their trash all over their house for two years.

I was texting Ammie that we were waiting for our flight and found out some bad news. She tested positive for Covid. Ugh. I advised her to test only because she had a cough for two weeks that wasn’t Covid. I figured her doctors would make her test anyway and to eliminate that cause for them. I hoped the rest of us would be able to avoid it as we all had our boosters.

The flight home was much easier than the flight down. The attendants did not seem as concerned about masks as the other crew. Lots of noses out and some gaiters but after a cruise and crowds at Universal, I couldn’t worry to much about this. Halfway through the flight, the man across the aisle started coughing and sniffing so much. It was very sudden as we saw him when we checked bags and he seemed fine then and for the first hour of the flight. He was coming down with something for sure.

We landed in Philly and were glad to be back. It didn’t take long to get our bags and find our ride. It was late when we got home so we had a little snack and went to bed.

I will add that Chris did test positive on Tuesday for Covid. I tried my best to stay negative but I started feeling lots of allergy symptoms and tested positive on Saturday. It put a damper on our Easter plans with family but we are very thankful our cases are mild. We had fun with our besties and I am excited to cruise in October with them through the Mediterranean. It will be the first cruise on MSC for all of us so hopefully you’ll return to read all about it.