My home away from home – The Portofino Bay Hotel
I am writing this on a plane from Orlando to DC after nearly 3 weeks of living out of suitcase in the US of A. Tomorrow I finally fly from DC back to A’dam. I’m sick of these clothes and I honestly believe they could walk without me at this point.
Since arriving in the USA I have made a few stops. First, I went to Boston to look for an area to relo. I’ve decided on South End – at least for today – anyone have any thoughts on that? I then moved on to Orlando where I’ve been staying for work for just over two weeks. I cannot complain because I have been living in a resort , but if I have to listen to another hotel employee speak broken Italian to me one more time I might just vomit. That, and I could never, ever eat another pepperoni, mushroom and Italian sausage pizza again and it would be a-okay!
My Boys, Tim & Wade
That all said, I did get to visit Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure with Tim & Wade which made my stay at the Portofino Bay a little more palatable. I will admit that I did feel a little guilty about going to the Universal parks because Jimmy and Stacie have worked long term for Disney and I have religiously visited Disney parks for the last 10 years with them. And I felt even worse when I really enjoyed the Universal parks – well, at least Islands! I could do without Universal Studios – except for the original Jaws boat ride, which still looks exactly as it did 10 years ago, which is not a compliment. I had to laugh because it was so bad. At Universal there is a new “experience” called Disaster. And let me tell you, it truly is a disaster. Trust me and don’t go to experience it yourself!!
Island of Adventure is a whole different story. It was all about the entire experience, as you moved though the park you travel through the Marvel Heros to Jurassic Park to Suessland, etc. And the detail they put into every facet of the park is truly spectacular, from top to bottom.
Tim, Dawn, & Spidey
My hands down favorite ride of the entire day was Spiderman. It was a mixture of rollercoaster and 3D movie and somehow made you feel as if you were bounding along the tops of buildings and swinging around the city. I don’t know how they do it, but it works and it’s good!
For the ADD part of you, The Hulk rollercoaster is one of the most extreme I’ve ever experienced. Perhaps I’m getting old, but I really felt discombobulated after it was over – and it is a long ride! – and took a while to fully regain my balance.
Enjoy amazing animatronics and a great time on the Jurassic Park ride, but look forward to getting wet. Do not believe the ice cream salesman right outside the entrance who says that you only get “a little wet”. I was soaked for the next few hours, and no one likes Dallas-style frizzy hair and walking around in wet underwear.
Pretty much everything at Islands was fantastic, and I would definitely recommend it to people visiting the area (just buy your tickets online!). I even loved the Dualing Dragons ride that encourages you to make sure you aren’t too fat before riding!!
Too phat
To top off the experience, there is always City Walk which offers a wide variety of deep fried foods that will fit with any diet, from Bubba Gumps to Margaritaville to Hard Rock to NBA City to NASCAR. Only the finest available at Universal! I honestly think that the food within the parks was more nutritious than what’s offered at City Walk. And after being there two weeks and eating at literally every restaurant at least once – if not twice – I am happy to wipe my face of all the grease and go eat some salads!
So for now, I'm A’dam bound!!