Today was our last day at the HRH And Universal.
Since we had to finish some last minute packing we got to IOA a little later than the day before. I think we made it though the turnstiles a few minutes after 8:00 a.m. We walked with purpose through the parks. Interestingly at 8:15 a.m. there was a large (150 to 200 people) waiting for the HE line to open. We did not see that on the prior three days.
We made it to FJoHP at 8:18 a.m. just in time for the posted wait to increase to 45 minutes from 30 minutes, We got in line and timed our wait. It was 33 minutes. I think we were moving the entire time with no stopping. There was no snow in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom for us this morning (it was working yesterday). Once again we loved the ride. The DDs then wanted to spend more time trying the interactive spells. This is fun but frustrating (especially for my DD8) at times when the spells do not work. We wanted to ride Hippogriff but like yesterday the EP line was very long (likely a 25 minute for a very short ride) so we decided not to ride. My DDs were hungry so I bought them croissants from the food cart. They were quite good and only $3.00 for two.
Since my DDs did not want park hop today and DH was expected to meet us around 10:30 a.m. we decided to stay at IOA. We rode Spider-man twice with absolutely no wait. We then rode Dr. Doom. That ride looks so impressive but most other parks with a similar ride have more drops. We find it to be disappointing.
We then went over to ride Cat in the Hat. I am still disappointed that it does not spin like it used to. We then used our refillable popcorn bucket again. I am constantly amazed that they let you re-use those from year to year, it is a very good deal. I just wish they sold popcorn in more locations so the wait would be shorter (this was not an issue at 10:30 in the morning but it has been an issue in the afternoon).
At this point we split up. DD11 and I rode Hulk and Dragon Challenge and DH and DD8 rode the Seuss Trolley (they got stuck for a short while) and Red Fish Blue Fish. Since DH was carrying my backpack we did not need ride lockers. I did embarrass DD11 by storing my phone and hat down my shirt.
We then met for an early lunch at Circus McGurkus. We were there about 11:20. Like Sunday the service at that time of day is extremely slow since they only have one person serving food in one line. We also heard the team members talking about how they raised the food prices yesterday. I will post some pictures of the new prices.
My parents called while we were eating lunch and told me that they were moving an hour north of Orlando to The Villages. This means that we will be able to go to FL more often (awesome!).
When we finished lunch we went back to HRH to pick up our swimsuits and our car so we could head to Wet n Wild. We had bought 3 park 14 day passes so other than paying $13 to park at Wet & Wild there was no additional cost. FYI you access the parking lot from Universal Boulevard (it looks like you should do so from I-Drive but that is not right). The weather was perfect for water parks - sunny (not a cloud in the sky all day) and temps in the high 80s. We rented towels ($7 each but you get $3 each back when you return them and a locker ($12 including a $3 deposit). The towels were brand new and quite plush.
Unfortunately I forgot my swim shirt. I have a swim suit the same color as my swim shorts and I put that in our bag by accident. In the spring I have a sun allergy that gives me an itchy rash until my skin gets used to the sun so forgetting the swim shirt was a bummer. We rode a number of rides. Due to my sun allergy I eventually went to hide in the shade under some towels. DH and the DDs had a great time. DH generally does not like amusement parks but he loves water parks.
We last went to Wet N Wild during our first Uni trip in 2011. For that trip we bought express passes. I think we would have been well served to buy them today. For example DD8 and I were in line for Disco H2O. The line did not move at all for about 15 minutes because every express pass holder was given immediate access to the line. Our total wait was probably 30-40 minutes for that ride.
When I first joined Lines in 2011 I remember there was a thread comparing Wet N Wild to the Disney Water Parks. At the time we had only been to Wet N Wild and loved it. After having visited both Disney water parks we vastly prefer those. I think my perception was clouded today by some very unpleasant people that I encountered at Wet N Wild who were quite obnoxious. That being said we still had a great time this afternoon.
We stayed until almost closing at 5:00. We then went back to HRH a to pick up our luggage. That was efficient and then we drove over to Caribe Royale. There was a little traffic but nothing too bad.
The 2 bedroom villas here are huge! There is enough space that we could live here. The villa is very clean. The bathrooms seem to have been recently renovated. The furniture is of a moderate quality but clean and comfortable. Check in was friendly and efficient. We ate dinner at Tropicale. The restaurant is dark and it took a long time for our entrees to arrive despite the restaurant only being a quarter full. The food was good.
I am doing a lot of laundry. The machine in our room works well but is tiny. We are quite happy here. I still cannot believe the low price for this resort.
Tomorrow we are off to Dunedin (near Clearwater) to see family and to go to the beach.