Hijinks & Shenanigans but not much Mayhem@The Dark Side+Disney, Despicable 10/7

[natebenma]

Continued from Previous Post

After riding, you can tour a very well-themed and expanding Springfield.

The Kwik-E-Mart was there on our last visit two years ago:












New this year are other prominent Springfield businesses:

Moes Tavern- we just peeked in, I think there is another room out back and I thought there was a figure of Homer at the bar, but we didnt see it. You can order a Duff beer, which I have heard is pretty good and they have some other specialty drinks, too.

There is also a menu of mostly Mexican fare- tacos, fajitas, burritos and donuts.










Next is Krusty Burger- We didnt go in, but I understand this is a food court area.







There is also a front for a comic book store- not sure if you can go in at this point or if it will even be a building you can enter.





Finally, there is another ride that will be opening soon. It was behind a construction wall, so you could only get glimpses of it, but when we had lunch at Lombards, we had a great view of it in motion.


Kang & Kodos Twirl and Hurl:










We really enjoyed all of the interactive pictures on the construction wall. There were lots of scenes of characters from the Simpsons designed for you to get into the picture. It was fun seeing people trying different poses up against the wall.

Here are some of our favorites:









Next up: We DON'T dine with the Fishes (finally, some Food Porn)

 

[-Hope-]

Love the pics of the new Simpsons area! We are pretty excited to visit this, especially DS14 who is a huge Simpsons fan.

I love that they have the interactive paintings on the fences! Disney could have taken a cue from this playbook during the Fantasyland expansion.

 

[natebenma]

Love the pics of the new Simpsons area! We are pretty excited to visit this, especially DS14 who is a huge Simpsons fan.

I love that they have the interactive paintings on the fences! Disney could have taken a cue from this playbook during the Fantasyland expansion.

Sorry to take so long to respond.

I am so impressed with the Simpsons area. It was good before, but wow, the attention to detail is so incredible!

We LOVED the interactive wall postings. It was probably our favorite part of the area. And, ironically, will be coming down when the construction has finished!

 

[natebenma]

When we visited Universal two years ago, the first meal of our trip was at Lombard’s Landing. It was a great experience. The food was fantastic and our table was amazing- we were seated right next to the fish tank in the middle of the room:

We were hoping to get an equally interesting table this time around.









Where were we seated?

Upstairs-

Here:









BLECH!!!

There were incredible sights from the windows in the room, really nice views of the theme park, but we were in the middle of the room, so we couldn’t see anything unless we stood up and walked over. The dining room was pretty empty when we arrived, so I took pictures from all of the windows:

















So, how was the food???

Continued in next post

 

[natebenma]

Continued from Previous Post


Cookies & Cream Shake




Rolls and pretty butter:






Side Salad (added on to Bens meal)




Mark and Ben both ordered the Fishermans Basket with Waffle Fries: $14.99
Fresh cod, shrimp and oysters lightly fried in a tempura batter, served with French fries and vegetable slaw and creamy tartar sauce. The samples I had from these meals were good.




Nate ordered the Lobster Mac & Cheese: $17.99
Chunks of Lobster meat, pasta shells, Boursin and Grana Padano Parmesean. Served with Sweet Potato Fries.

We didn't get to taste any of this, but Nate said it was really good.




My meal was the Lobster Roll: $15.99
Bite-sized chunks of lobster with Dijon Mayonnaise, served on a buttered split bun with shredded lettuce. Served with homemade seasoned potato chips.
This New England girl was a little leery of the Dijon. It was strange, but not bad. I liked it.




The meals were filling, but the boys can always manage to fit in some dessert. They ordered the Chocolate Sabayon, Creamsicle and Peanut Butter & Jelly Dessert Shots. I dont think Nate let me try the Chocolate one. The Creamsicle was ok, but not as good as I expected it to be. The PB&J? Nasty!







How would I rate the meal? Food: A- Atmosphere: C Overall: B
Cost: $79.05 plus tip, after $8.25 AAA member discount.

Based on the raves about Finnegans, I think I would switch out our first day lunch on a future visit.


Next up:
Men, Women and Children (in Black)

 

[-Hope-]

The food looks great! Sorry you didn't get seated in a better spot.

 

[ixmnrs]

Subbing in. Your trip report has been amazing so far! Very helpful for our first stay at HRH and Universal!

 

[Krista in MA]

I'm enjoying your TR and photos so far! Some friends and I are thinking about heading down for a long weekend this fall. I can't wait to read more!

 

[natebenma]

Sorry to be MIA for so long! Hoping to get the next update or two posted later tonight or tomorrow morning.

The food looks great! Sorry you didn't get seated in a better spot.

Food was good but I realize that it was the seating that really blew us away last time. Think we will try Finnegan's instead on our next trip.

Subbing in. Your trip report has been amazing so far! Very helpful for our first stay at HRH and Universal!

Thanks for the kind words!

When is your trip? If I am going too slow, you can check out my previous Universal trip report, Welcome Foolish Muggles, from the perspective of a first-timer.

I'm enjoying your TR and photos so far! Some friends and I are thinking about heading down for a long weekend this fall. I can't wait to read more!

Thank you so much!!!

Fall would be a fantastic time to visit. Watch for dates for Hollywood Horror Nights, either to attend or avoid.

 

[natebenma]

One of our go-to rides at Universal Studios is Men in Black. I think we did this one more times (7) than anything else in US/IoA. The ride is kind of like a darker, grown up version of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. You zap aliens to score points. One really cool thing with this ride is that you also shoot at other groups’ ride vehicles when you learn that they are actually aliens in disguise. You earn points plus you can make their cars spin out of control.

Please note- this is one of the rides where you are required to use a locker. Not entirely sure why. You spin, but that is really all.





Here are some pictures from the queue and end of the ride:







These are the zapper guns-





This poster gives some instructions/hints about earning points. Sorry it is a bit hard to read. Like most of my pictures, I took this one without stopping to avoid annoying my family.





Here is a really cool thread on the DIS, by MIB999999, with additional information about the game and strategies for scoring the maximum number of points.

MIB tips for left and right hand lanes by MIB999999

I didn’t really read through it before the trip. I think my 15 year old son Nate won most of the games, I am quite sure I was always at the bottom.


Ride Photos:

Saturday July 13





Sunday July 14:







Monday July 15:







Next Up: It's a Wrap

 

[natebenma]

Revenge of the Mummy may be my favorite ride anywhere. It makes me scream and it makes me smile! The ride is a medium-intensity coaster that takes you to different scenes where you endure various curses of the mummy. The special effects are outstanding!

The only problem with this ride is that it scared my son Ben (age 10 at the time) so much that he was one-and-done during our last trip. He claimed he would give it another try this year, and he did.

What did he think?

That’s him, back row, orange shirt.







I really, really wish I could take pictures on this ride. So visually amazing! I do have a couple of stock photos that came on my Photo Connect CD, but they do not come even close to capturing the awesomeness of this experience!











Ride Photos:









The dump shop for The Mummy is pretty cool, too. Lots of Egyptian “artifacts” on display. I would post pictures, but again, they were all taken on the fly and are very blurry.


Next Up: The City That Doesn’t Sleep

.

 

[rosedolph]

These ride pictures crack me up! It looks like you're taking a nap on one of the MIB.
On the Mummy ride are things jumping out at you? I love roller coasters but hate scary "haunted house" type rides. I only rode Expedition Everest after I read that the Yeti doesn't jump out at you anymore. Yep, I'm that big of a chicken.

 

[-Hope-]

Love all the ride photos! I'm always in last place with points too because I'm just so terrible at dark ride shooting games. Seriously bad. When we went to Six Flags with Karen and her DD she said she was bad (because everyone things they are) but she still beat me by thousands of points. I'm just no good at all- but I always have fun anyway!

The Mummy looks fun but I doubt I can convince anyone to ride with me. DD is gearing herself up to try kiddie coasters at LegoLand and perhaps Flight of the Hippogriff but I know she won't want to ride this one with me. Just as well, we'll be on a tight enough schedule as it is (and without EP).

 

[natebenma]

These ride pictures crack me up! It looks like you're taking a nap on one of the MIB.
On the Mummy ride are things jumping out at you? I love roller coasters but hate scary "haunted house" type rides. I only rode Expedition Everest after I read that the Yeti doesn't jump out at you anymore. Yep, I'm that big of a chicken.

Tried to get others to do the nap thing, too, but it ended up just being me.

I didn't remember anything "jumping out at you" like in a haunted house. I asked my boys what happens with the mummies like in the pictures I posted. They are on the side of the ride, at one point they light up and they move slightly toward you, but it is not a "surprise" type of movement.

Things happen during the ride around you- I don't know if the effects would be startling for you, but all I can say is "Mummy rocks!"

I hope you give it a try.

If there are others reading along who can give a better description, please do.

Love all the ride photos! I'm always in last place with points too because I'm just so terrible at dark ride shooting games. Seriously bad. When we went to Six Flags with Karen and her DD she said she was bad (because everyone things they are) but she still beat me by thousands of points. I'm just no good at all- but I always have fun anyway!

The Mummy looks fun but I doubt I can convince anyone to ride with me. DD is gearing herself up to try kiddie coasters at LegoLand and perhaps Flight of the Hippogriff but I know she won't want to ride this one with me. Just as well, we'll be on a tight enough schedule as it is (and without EP).

Well, the good news is I don't really care that my score is low!

Hippogriff is very tame- your DD should not have any trouble with it. The Mummy is pretty intense, so I wouldn't suggest it to her. And I know your mom would not be able to ride.

If you do get the chance, though...

 

[natebenma]

One of the best-themed areas of Universal Studios, IMHO, is the NYC area.

If you squint your eyes a little and tilt your head just right, you will be transported to another place:


Hollywood Studios!

















I didnt take any pictures of Macys this year, but these are a couple I like a lot from our trip in 2011:

















Out of Place "Twists" in New York:


The attractions in New York are Revenge of the Mummy, which I have already talked about, Twister, The Blues Brothers Show and Delancey Street Preview Center.

Two of these features seem somewhat out of place in this city-

When I think of the Blues Brothers (Lets Twist Again!, Soul Man, and the classic Rubber Biscuit) it is in more of a Take Me To Chicago sort of way. But, again, maybe if you squint enough, the stage/steps where they perform could double as the Windy Cindy.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I took any pictures of them performing. Some of the shows during our trip were cancelled due to rain, and I don't think we were ever walking by during a performance.







Speaking of windy& Twister- Ride it Out also seems a bit out of place. The setting is Wakita, KS. Mid-West, not Mid-Town.





The woman on the phone does not seem disturbed by the devastation behind her!

















The special effects in Twister are pretty decent, but this is not a feel-good attraction. In the preshow, you are watching clips of the movie Twister and seeing footage of towns damaged by this awful force of nature.


Next: The San Francisco Treat (Lunch was not as bad as we expected)

.

 

[-Hope-]

I just love all of your pictures! Looking at them really helps me get excited for our trip!

 

[zebsterama]

Thank you for your incredible report! Our family has never been to Universal and the info, insight, and photo's that you have provided are invaluable for our trip next summer.

I'm sure I can find this somewhere else on the boards, but any idea when the other Springfield/Simpsons ride will be completed? Selfishly I'm hoping it's before end of July 2014.

Definitely looking forward to more installments.

Cheers,
Zebsterama

 

[RAPstar]

Another great TR!! Can't wait for more!!

 

[natebenma]

I just love all of your pictures! Looking at them really helps me get excited for our trip!

Thank you so much!!! I'm sorry I don't get over here more frequently to update and check on your plans.

The start of school gets busy for me- I am the president of the parents' group at my son's middle school and my part-time job as a museum teacher picks up in the fall as we host field trips and school programs at the 300 year old farm and manor house where I work.

Thank you for your incredible report! Our family has never been to Universal and the info, insight, and photo's that you have provided are invaluable for our trip next summer.

I'm sure I can find this somewhere else on the boards, but any idea when the other Springfield/Simpsons ride will be completed? Selfishly I'm hoping it's before end of July 2014.

Definitely looking forward to more installments.

Cheers,
Zebsterama

and thanks so much for your very kind comments!

I think the Springfield area is pretty darn close to completion if it is not already finished based on pictures and reports I have seen recently.

Now the thing I am interested in hearing about is how the Harry Potterland expansion is coming along! Projected opening for some of that is summer 2014, I believe.

Another great TR!! Can't wait for more!!

Hey, Robbie!!! Great to see you again!



Hope all is going well for you.

(cuz you're a hugger)

 

[-Hope-]

Thank you so much!!! I'm sorry I don't get over here more frequently to update and check on your plans.

The start of school gets busy for me- I am the president of the parents' group at my son's middle school and my part-time job as a museum teacher picks up in the fall as we host field trips and school programs at the 300 year old farm and manor house where I work.



)

No problem! I completely understand and your job sounds really interesting! Besides, I haven't had much to update lately. Just (not so) patiently waiting for next week!