Yes – I want to get past I-4 before afternoon drive-time starts I have an early class in the morning, so waiting till after drive time is not an option this time. It’s been a swell visit, Orlando – see ya real soon!
Category Archives: Islands of Adventure
It’s my brother’s birthday
My youngest brother, aka Chez Bro, always makes sure he is in Orlando for his birthday.
Single Rider, that’s me
Wel,l not today, but through life. I sometimes write about that at TheSingleRider.com
Spider-Man non-3-D
What Spider-Man at islands o Adventure looks like without 3-D glasses.
Look, Universal has one too!
Look, another service dog sign. Why have I never seen these signs before? After all the times I have been to these parks, one would think I’d have run across them dozens of times!
Now entering Islands of Adventure
The family got ahead of me – I stopped at Starbucks!
Universal IOA tower at sunset
The colors are ten times better than a phone can capture <3
A Hogwarts view
Relaxing resort bar
We recommend it!
Deck the pachyderm with boughs of holly
Horton Wears A Wreath
Ooops off our diets
Fudge from IoA Port of Entry sweet shop. We sliced it in thirds 🙂
More Grinchmas
The IoA Christmas store is hoppin’
The Hulk
We’re gonna pass this time
Out behind the Burger Digs
Beautiful vista
LIVE from The Three Broomsticks
We just had lunch and are now ready to cruise over to Jurassic Park
View from the Sneetch trolley
High In The Sky Trolley
Star-belly kids
When I grow up, I wanna be a star-belly kid
Circus McGurkus
It’s story time
Lexie has an admirer
Too early for Sinbad
I want to see this show one last time. I’ve got a feeling it’s going to make way for Diagon Alley… Just a hunch!
Familiar characters just hanging around
Didn’t realize the Rudolf characters were a Universal property. Hey, where’s the Bumble?
Wizarding World crossroads
We have ridden Forbidden Journey and are looking for water
Hogsmeade
Heading for the castle
Grinchmas!
It’s like Christmas threw up here lol
Christmas at Universal Islands of Adventure
We have arrived and are taking a bio break…
Upcoming Adventures: Food, Family, Fun, and More!
© Copyright 2011 | http://MyMobileAdventures.com | CLICK any photo for a larger view
Good grief, have I got a ridiculous amount of adventures lined up in the next several months! Suddenly, we’re going from zero to 60 in a matter of seconds. I’m still not quite sure how this happened, but my dance card filled up rapidly and I’m looking for places to insert a breath or two 😉
OCTOBER 2011
EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival at Walt Disney World | Yes, it’s that time of year again – Chez Bro and da fambly will be rocking Disney World starting next week. I’m going for just three nights, but that should be long enough to sample all the new goodies that will be offered this year. I hear there’s a Hawaii booth offering a really good mai tai… also looking forward to visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the wake of the announcement that there will be a new “land” developed there that’s based on the film AVATAR. This land will be focused on “living in harmony” with the environment. I hear there will be an “AVATAR 2” in 2014, and I’m wondering if they will be coordinating the opening of the new section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom with the opening of the film… that would be pretty exciting 🙂
Universal Orlando Resort and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter | These days, I do not plan an expedition to Orlando without including a visit to Universal Orlando Resort in my plans. I am smitten with The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. While I don’t think there’s anything really new there to see or do, it’s kind of cool to wander through Universal Studios circa Halloween time – they do the place up nicely, so I’m looking forward to dropping by and taking it all in. One thing that won’t be available there YET is the new book Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey – guess I’ll have to pre-order from Amazon like the rest of the world!
Florida Panther Festival | At first I thought, “oh dear, I’m going to miss it 🙁 ” because it’s on a Saturday and as I will explain below, my Saturdays are all booked up through early November. Then I realized I could do one of the field trips that wasn’t on the same day as the festival, and I felt a bit better as soon as I signed up. So I’ll get to hike a bit through Corkscrew Swamp, something I’ve yet to do but it’s “on the list”. Eager not only to learn about and experience the swamp, but also to observe a naturalist in action, taking people on an adventure. I think I finally know what I want to be when I grow up… 😉 DISCLAIMER: That is not a panther. I do not have a photo of a panther. However, I had a picture of a western cougar, and since they are the same species (but two different sub-species, separated by the Gulf of Mexico), and also since he is so cute with his tongue sticking out at me like that, I decided what the heck – western cougar it is LOL.
Florida Master Naturalist – Freshwater Wetlands Module | Having completed the Coastal Systems module several months ago, and having had a total blast doing it – it’s like day camp for adults 😉 – I am eager to begin the Freshwater Systems Module, immediately upon my return from Orlando. Every Saturday through the beginning of November, I’ll have lecture in the morning and then field trips in the afternoons. One of the field trips will happen in a place that is very familiar to me – the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, right here in Fort Myers. The rest of the field trips are in places up in Charlotte County, to places where I’ve never been before. Oh, yes! New adventures! And I get to learn how to kayak! Doesn’t this just keep getting better and better? 🙂
NOVEMBER 2011
Mote Marine Aquarium, Sarasota | Ever since I saw the “Mote Mobile” at the Mango Festival this past July, I’ve wanted to visit Mote Aquarium, which is about an hour north of Fort Myers, in Sarasota. It’s attached to a Marine Laboratory which was founded in 1955. As if the excitement of a new adventure isn’t enough, I have a Groupon for admission AND they’re opening a new exhibit in November called “Penguin Island”. Since I’m all booked up through the beginning of November, and since the Groupon expires 11/22, guess what I’ll be doing sometime in between? Yep, I’m Sarasota-bound 🙂
DECEMBER 2011
Holiday Meet in Orlando | This is becoming a habit – some friends from Ohio typically come to Orlando circa the first week of December each year, and I’ve met them there several times now. We are usually good for dinner somewhere special and an adult beverage crawl around the World Showcase in EPCOT. Of course, I’ll visit not only Walt Disney World but Universal Orlando as well. The SeussLand deco is beyond ridiculous; every possible square inch is covered in tinsel and lights in celebration of “Grinchmas”. I was thinking that this year, I might expand my “in search of Christmas” resort hop; I’ve pretty well covered the Port Orleans resorts, the Boardwalk, and Downtown Disney. It’s time to expand my repertoire! So if you have a favorite resort that you’d like me to visit for the Christmas decor, please leave a comment below and I will try to include it in my itinerary. Thanks!
Christmas In New York | One of the great ironies of my life is that I’ve yet to spend Christmas Day in my own home. I moved away from New York in 2006 and have been going “home” to Long Island for Christmas every year since then. I basically pull a plug-in two foot tree out of a box to enjoy for a few days before jetting off to points north, LL Bean flannel-lined jeans and waterproof Uggs in tow. I’m-a-skeered – last year, there was a blizzard while I was there! Well, I guess it wouldn’t make very much sense to have Uggs and not get to wear them in the snow. Plus, I bought a round-trip ticket, so I’ll be back in Florida eventually 😉 It’s good for me to go north in the snow; it makes me grateful that I’m not stuck with it and that I get to come back here to warm, sunny Florida.
Well, that’s the adventure report for the rest of the year. If I add something, I’ll be sure to let you know – but I’m pretty much certain that’s all the adventure I can stand! Stay tuned, ’cause mobile blogging from Orlando starts SOON!
Photo Friday: Tales of the vertical from Orlando, Florida
© Copyright 2011 | http://MyMobileAdventures.com | CLICK any photo for a larger view
Having just visited a few days ago, I saw the prompt for Photo Friday this morning and immediately realized there were several things at the Universal Orlando Resort that qualify for inclusion in a collection of “vertical” photos. Here we go!

ABOVE: Four Points by Sheraton hotel, right outside Universal Orlando Resort.

ABOVE: The tower outside Universal Islands of Adventure theme park

ABOVE: From across the lake in Jurassic Park, you can see the two towers that are otherwise known as Dr. Doom’s Fear Fall (no I have never and I ain’t ever gonna!)

ABOVE: This is ROCKIT! at Universal Studios. Note the VERTICAL drop. Yes, I have. No, I will NEVER AGAIN!
“Baby” character craze gone wrong, Part deux
Spider Tot
Spider Tot
Does whatever a Spider Tot does
“Baby” character craze gone wrong
Baby Hulk
Heading out – it’s HOT
A few of us are gonna browse shops in CityWalk and all meet up for dinner later at Downtown Disney
Zax By-Pass
What happens when a North-Going Zax and a South-Going Zax meet
“everybody’s Favorite” – Fizzing Whizbees
We’re in Honeyduke’s. I’m not getting anything. I’m saving myself for a Mickey Bar.
Time to screeeeam at Islands Of Adventure
Visiting the Daily Bugle at Islands Of Adventure
20 minute wait? In the air conditioning? That’s inhumane
RAWR! Just passing through
The Jurrasic Prk River ride is down for rehab so we’re moving on
The incredible, non-melting snowman of Hogsmeade
You too can have your photo taken with the incredible non-melting snowman of Hogsmeade. But first, several dozen people must cross in front of you, pretending to duck in a grand but ineffective show of consideration that isn’t sufficient to avoid getting their head in your picture.
Whomped by a willow
Yes, the frogs actually sing
This is actually a cool little group
Something wicked this way comes
The Frog Choir is here to entertain us
Extra thumbs-up for lunch in Hogsmeade
You thought I was kidding about the ribs AGAIN, didn’t you? LOL!
I sense ribs in my future – Three Broomsticks!
Fire-breathing dragons!
I won’t do the ride but I do love the queue
Official Goblet Of Fire
The CM on duty says this was a prop in the film
I’m a Gryffindor – how about you?
I usually come our Gryffindor with Ravenclaw tendencies. How about you?
Pigs are flying at Hogwarts
Single rider line, here we come
The Big Fork at IoA
Stowing stuff at Islands of Adventure
Xxmwm
CityWalk FTW :)
Heading to the CityWalk bag check
Gotta find our fellow adventurers…
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
© Copyright 2010 Tink *~*~*
http://MyMobileAdventures.com
Elementary school children participated in “Read Across America” today, in honor of the 107th birthday of Dr. Seuss. Here’s my personal birthday card to the good Dr. – some scenes (in slide show form) from Universal Islands of Adventure – Seuss Landing. [Subscribers: if you don’t see a slide show embedded in your subscription email, please come to the blog to view it. Thanks!]
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4 sanibuddies
Moose!
Sinbad!
Aaaaa!!!
See shell!
Another fine Delswife idea
Take a picture of where you’re parked. That way if you forget, just look at the photo!