Orlando Theme Parks

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Thurs Nov 6: Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure

Universal Studios has two adjoining theme parks outside of the Disney compound. We started at US, where we rode The Mummy, another indoor coaster that, in addition to the normal sharp turns and plummets, also stopped and went backwards. Scared me enough to go straight back on for another ride. We loved it. Then we tried The Simpsons (a very funny coaster simulator) and Men in Black, where we had the added adventure of shooting aliens during the ride.

That was it for US, just over an hour. Islands of Adventure next door looked much more inviting. And first up was the Incredible Hulk, our first proper outdoor rollercoaster, reaching high overhead. We went straight on it before I lost my nerve. It was fantastic. It didn't start with the usual slow ascent, but we were fired into the ride at a great speed. Loops, corkscrews, twists and turns, but because we were on a big rollercoaster train (for want of a better word) everything was smooth and I really enjoyed the ride.

We tried Spiderman, part ride, part 3D simulator which was fun, but a bit tame after the Hulk. Jurassic Park was much like Splash Mountain, but a bigger splash. We finished with Dueling Dragons, riding one of two coasters that twist around each other. The difference between this and Hulk was that here, instead of sitting safely in a car, we were hanging from the track. Another very cool ride.

Fri Nov 7: Sea World

Sea World was a bit different from the other theme parks we have visited, being more about the shows than the rides. Having said that, we started on The Kraken, another huge coaster, much like Hulk, though it didn't start with Hulk's excitement.

We saw plenty of animals - sharks, manatees, penguins and seals - and a couple of shows - dolphins and killer whales. I enjoyed the dolphin show more, there wasn't a lot the killer whales did other than splash people in the first 15 rows. Which, since we were up the back, we quite enjoyed!

We ate dinner at the hotel's 50s-style ice-cream parlour, taking our burger count (I think) up to 3.

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