Universal Studios

With a 6AM flight to Orlando, that meant a 2:30AM wake-up call for a 3:00AM limo ride to O'Hare. Our limo driver made it to O'Hare in record time and we arrived at the airport before baggage check-in and security even opened. After a short wait, we were clear of security and headed to the Red Carpet Club to wait for our flight. Surprisingly our flight left right on time and we made it to Orlando shortly before 10AM EDT. After luggage pick-up, we grabbed a rental car and drove to Universal Studios.

We stopped at Universal's Royal Pacific Resort to pick up our resort keys so we could make use of Universal's "Express" access for hotel guests. After that we walked over to Universal from the hotel and began our park excursion. First up was the new "Rip Ride Rock-It" roller coaster. This coaster features a 90 degree, 17 story, vertical incline at the start, meaning you are lying on your back as proceed up the lift hill towards the first drop. The ride features on-board audio where you select the song you want to hear played during the ride. J. R. sat this one out the first time while Janie, Alex, Thomas and even Rebecca took their first ride. Rebecca loved the coaster, the biggest she had ever been on.

After the coaster, it was off to Twister then Mummy and Disaster. Twister remains a cool ride, although a little dated and the Mummy is still one of the best indoor coasters we've ever ridden. Disaster is the former Earthquake ride with a new opening. The hologram effect used to bring Christopher Walken to life in the pre-show is cool but the rest of the ride is pretty lame and the San Francisco earthquake scene could benefit from updated technology. After a quick spin through Men In Black Alien Attack, with bad weather looming, we decided to head back to our hotel and check into our room. The rain came down in earnest as we were steps away from the hotel, so we made a mad dash inside. After lunch, we considered going back to the parks, but everyone was tired and there was a threat of more rain, so we all headed down to the hotel pool to relax after a long day. After a few hours of pool time and a few drinks, we went upstairs to the hotel lobby where they had a sushi bar and we closed down the evening with some maki rolls and sodas before turning in for the night.