Universal Studios

Despite it being a cold and rainy day, we had a good time at Universal Studios.  We paid extra for Front of Line passes which meant we got quicker access to rides and better seating at shows.  Crowds were down anyway because of the weather, but I still think it probably saved at least an hour of standing in lines.  And it meant we got to finish all of the rides before the rain came in.

Speaking of rides, they weren't the highlight for me but I did enjoy the Jurassic Park ride (a wet ride through dinosaur country).  I went on the Revenge of the Mummy ride and swore never again - but Billy & Pete went back on it for a second time!  I also piked on the Simpsons ride (I mean, I decided to make the sacrifice to hold the bags!) while they went on it - twice!  The Shrek 4D ride was good but I chose a stationary seat so I didn't get the full impact.

We started off with the studio backlot tour which was fun.  We survived a flash flood, King Kong in 3D, Norman Bates chasing us off with a knife, collapsing bridges and dropped in on a few well known houses..

We did most of the rides before a late lunch and then finished the day off by taking in the shows.  Both the Special Effects show and the Terminator 2 show were excellent.  We didn't get to do the Water World show due to the rain, and we weren't that interested in the animal show.

The most fun thing about Universal Studios, I think, is the characters roaming the park.  Some are there to meet and greet, some are there to sneak up behind and scare the crap out of you :)  Lots of fun though!

We left the park about 4:30pm and spent the next couple of hours having dinner in a nearby (warm, dry) steakhouse before we went back outside and waited for our bus.  A bus that was unfortunately an hour late...  We did eventually get back to the motel though!