Fun in The Sun

Here it is...the long awaited, much anticipated Florida Review. I did this on purpose I will have you know...wating so long to post this. I figured I would let the suspense build up a bit, add a little drama. I said what the hell?

So it sucked. HA! Just kidding of course. We had a great time. Its hard not to have fun when you visit the most magical place in the world.

Weather: 70 degrees, sunny everyday

Plane rides: Boston to Atlanta: smooth ride, very crowded plane

Atlanta to Orlando: Smooth ride, nice plane, about 1/2 full.

Orlando to Boston: SUCKED HARD. Very bumpy...bad enough for the pilot to apologize. Plane was only about 1/4 full but there was still not enough room for me to get on my knees and pray to God that I wasn't going to die. It was that bad, really.

Ok, rather than give you a day by day, blow by blow, I thought I would just point out some of the highlights, as well as tell you the rides that kicked some serious ass.

We started off at the rental car agency which, although I did not find that overly exciting, Ryun did so I thought I would share it anyway. We rented a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am. The exciting part? It had a dash board ignition switch...which is apparently something that appeals to Ryun.

Anyway, after he was done drooling, we drove to our hotel and checked in. It was nice, our room was good size. Only complaint? We went back in time a few decades to the 1970's. The room was decorated in brown, yellow and puke green. It was lovely, really.

We spent the night and the following day at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk, all owned by Universal.

Must sees: Rides: JAWS...scary but well worth it!

Back to the Future: Not for those with a weak stomach but if you are not one of those, go on this ride without a doubt.

Earthquake: very well done and worth the wait there may be.

Twister: IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE DO THIS. IT WAS UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!

Kongfrontation: King Kong gets loose in the streets of NY. Very cool ride.

Jurassic Park River Adventure: Awesome...you would swear that the dinosaurs still walked the earth. Be prepared to get wet though.

Places to eat: Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville: Its Jimmy Buffet...enough said.

Hard Rock Orlando: same as any Hard Rock but a fun place to go just the same.

On Monday we went to Disney's Animal Kingdom. This is Disney's newest theme park and it was simply amazing. Exotic animals, beautiful waterfalls, wildlife preservation at its best.

Must sees: Kilimanjaro Safari's: There may be a long wait but it is soooo worth it. Get up close and personal with a giraffe, elephant, alligator. The ride brings you right through "Africa". It is just beautiful.

Its Tough to Be a Bug: This was just unbelievable. The best show I think I have ever seen. Great effects and very funny.

Kali River Rapids: Fun fun fun...wet wet wet!

Dinosaur: "The only thing between you and extinction is a seatbelt." Enough said.

When we finished at Animal Kingdom we went over to the Magic Kingdom. I swear you can actually feel the magic in the air. It really is the happiest place on earth.

Must sees: Hall of Presidents: A Disney original and still one of the most popular attractions there.

The Haunted Mansion: same as above.

Thunder Mountain: A rollercoaster. Doesn't go upside down but its fun just the same.

Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin: Long wait time but again, worth it. Fun, interactive ride which I might add, Ryun kicked my butt in. His score? 73,000. Mine: 2300...um yeah.

Splash Mountain...didn't do it but hell, it had a wait time of over a freaking hour. Must be good.

That night we went over to Downtown Disney and ate at Planet Hollywood. Similar idea as hard Rock Cafe but based on TV and movies instead. If you ever play trivial pursuit with my husband, be on his team. He is an overflowing fountain of information on a variety of subjects, but especially anything even remotely related to television, movies and animation. He is amazing, I mean it.

The next day we went to MGM Studios. Ryun (the one with the actual nerve)went on Aerosmiths Rock n Rollercoaster. 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds...YIKES. He was like a little kid when he got off the ride. Too cute.

Must sees: The Backlot Tour: Very cool special effects and informative too.

Pizza Planet: Just like in Toy Story.

Fantasmic: Disney magic at its absolute best. It's just beautiful...beyond words.

Where to eat: The 50's Prime Time Cafe: a 50's cafe set up with 50's televisions and kitchen tables. Very fun place to eat. Make sure you eat all of your vegetables though, or Mom will be mad.

On the last day there we went over to Epcot. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time so we did not get to see as much there as we would have liked. Here is the list of must sees from the things we were able to do...keep in mind there may be more.

Test Track: GO ON THIS RIDE. It was awesome. I can't tell you how much so. It rocked, it was my favorite ride ever. I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Go on this ride or you won't be my friend anymore. Point made?!?!?!

Body Wars: Again, not a ride for those with a weak stomach but a ride through the human body at unheard of speeds. Its great.

Universe of Energy: Awesome.

The Spaceship Earth: really cool...much better than the school planetariam trust me.

Italy: Yummy. Eat here in the World Showcase. Good food and for those of you who enjoy Italian men, great waiters!!

The American Adventure: If you have any pride in this great country at all, see this show. Its wonderful and really makes you proud.

I really have to say that one of the best parts of the whole trip was the weather. It was gorgeous. I love the feeling of the hot sun on my face. I love looking up and seeing a blue sky. I love feeling the light breeze as it brushes by my body. It just made me feel so good.

I am looking forward to taking Emily and Katie in a few years. Although it was nice to have a week of peace and quiet, there were many times that I wish I had them with me. I missed them of course but I mean because of how excited they would have been at some things.

So there you have it. Incidentally, the monorail broke the day after we left and they had to rescue people by ladder. Also, on that same day Adam Vinatieri, the Patriots kicker was there. Yeah, so we missed some excitement. You know, because the rest of the trip was pretty boring.