Tuesday, March 12 2002

Good morning and welcome to Day 4 of the 9th Annual Spring Training Trek 2002!

Has anyone seen my lost shaker of salt?  If so, please email me.  The Braves play an away game in Lakeland against Detroit today....

We interrupt this regularly scheduled post for an important bulletin. David has left the World and is now ADWOL (Absent Disney With Out Leave).  For complete coverage of this breaking story, we go live to our field reporter a few miles north on I-4.

Thanks, Bob.  We are standing here at the Port of Entry for Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure for the first of 2 days of non Disney action.  Having taken a Mears shuttle over from the Coronado Springs resort, David is now set to embark on an adventure never before attempted.  At least not by him.

The first thing you see, Bob, when passing through the entrance to Islands of Adventure (besides the shops) is the Incredible Hulk Coaster.  This green gamma radiated monstrosity catapults you in every direction, except the one David wanted to go.  I am not a big roller coast guy and don't blamed David for moving on to Marvel Superhero Island.

Universal uses a system similar to Disney's FastPass called Express Tickets.  Use your 2 or 3 day pass to get up to 3 express tickets for entry to an attraction at a specific time.  In fact, there will probably be a number of comparisons with Disney attractions, the first of which is that where Disney builds character and a culture of "show" into their parks, Islands feels more like an amusement park.  Not surprising since it is not as big or as active as the Magic Kingdom.

Which is not to say it has no charm.  Divided into 5 zones around a lagoon, Marvel Super Hero Island is a tribute to comic book characters. In addition to the super heroes available for autographs and pictures, there is the Dr. Doom Freefall (150 ft), X-Men Storm Force Accelatron (a spinning ride), and the Incredible Hulk Coaster.  None of which caught David's interest.  What did catch his eye was the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.

Maybe he identifies with Peter Parker, having been bitten by the Spring Training bug and being unable to control the urge to fly South for the Spring.  The ride is a rush from the moment your SPYDR pod leaves the loading bay.  A combination of 3-D animation, physical motion and virtual reality throws you into the heart of the city and into the clutches of Spider-Man's most heartless enemies.  You bounce around as Spidey battles the bad guys until he can rescue you from a 100 story drop and tie up the bad guys.

The first time was sensory overload.  The second time through, it was easier to adjust and enjoy.  From Hero to Toon, the next stop was Toon Lagoon, a tribute to comic strip favorites complete with live appearances.  The Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a flume ride like no other.  Faster paced than Disney's Splash Mountain, the long gravity defying drops have a surprise at the end - a bump up a small hill at the bottom for emphasis.  Give Disney marks for story, but Dudley wins points for surprise.

Already somewhat wet, the terrific weather would dry you out within a few minutes if it were not for Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Water Barges. This traditional raft ride floats you through the white water turbulence of the battle for Olive Oyle.  Guaranteed to get you wet, this usually gets you soaked from head to toe.  To add insult to injury, on Me Ship, The Olive, kids can put quarters into water cannons and blast the unsuspecting rafters below!  Give this one an edge over the Kali River
Rapids in Animal Kingdom.

For lunch, it was Tuesday so lunch had to be a hamburger at Wimpys!

>From comic fantasy the adventure moves to historical fantasy, the most dangerous yet fascinating park ever created.  Jurassic Park features attractions for both kids and adults (like Disney's Dinoland USA).  The Jurassic Park River Adventure starts out calmly as your excursion boat floats past playful veggie eating dinosaurs.  But that's how it always starts out, with oohs and ahhs; the screaming comes later.  Sure enough an accidental bump pushes you off course into the Raptor containment area.  And a raptor is loose.  And they're after you.  They are all after you, driving you up, up, up, into the waiting clutches of...

Altogether now.

A T-Rex.  The only escape is to go down, down, down a shoot into a pool safely outside the Dino Institute and back in reality.  For thrill, Countdown to Extinction (now called Dinosaur) at Animal Kingdom wins hands down.  The River Adventure is cute, but after 3 Jurassic Park movies, you would expect the ride to be a little more involved.  Still, the ride continued Island's fascination with water and got me soaked for a third time.

The Triceratops Discovery Trail is a slight change of pace - you stand still while the dinosaur moves.  Join in a session with a dino-veterinarian as he checks the health of a real, home-grown triceratops.  For kids, the Pteranadon Flyers is an aerial ride that let's you look safely down on the park.  Adults unaccompanied by a kid are not allowed.

From the Lost World to the Lost Continent, the Flying Unicorn is a mythical tribute to the magical beast where kids and adults young at heart soar through a gentle roller coaster.  For the more thrill oriented, the Dueling Dragons (Fire and Ice) are competing medieval roller coasters wrapped around each other inverted and at high speed. David stopped long enough to marvel at the insanity of those riding.

Deep into the Lost Continent is the ancient temple of Poseidon where an accidental discovery has released ancient evils.  You join your dig tour guide to rescue Poseidon's trident and help the Greek god to restore good and return you to safety.   An intensive and climatic battle closes out the show with plenty of hydro and pyrotechnics as well as laser effects.

In front of the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad is the Mystic Fountain, a rock spring with a far reach and a temperament best not abused.  The fountain talks to passersby and if the conversation goes south, you get blasted with a shot of water.  When things go well, the fountain erupts into water and song.

The voyage itself is a stunt spectacular, telling the story of Sinbad and Kabob (Shhh) as they rescue a princess from a wicked sorceress.  The only live action show at the park, there were only 3 viewings the entire
day making it the hard-to-get ticket.  Still, it was fun, full of audience participation and pageantry.

The day has been fun, but also demanding, the last thing to do was visit Seuss Landing.  Full of characters from all Seuss's books, if you looked kind of funny you did not get looks.  The Cat in the Hat was an enjoyable ride that told the whole story from left to right side.  There was one thing left, one thing to do, if facing the same test, could you do it too?  I did like them, Sam I am, but I did try those Green Eggs and Ham.

After the park closed, it was off to Universal's CityWalk for a night at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.  Starting off in the Volcano Bark, I had a Blue Heaven Margarita while waiting for my dinner reservations. Having already had a cheeseburger in paradise for lunch, I ate a steak filet with a Key West Lager draft.  After dinner, I relaxed on the Porch of Indecision, unable to decide what to do next.

And that will have to become tomorrow's story as Day Four comes to an end.  Back at Disney World, it is time to return to the Magic and a little baseball.

Fuskie