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Old 12-22-2011, 02:38 PM   #1
luvmygrlz
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Smile Give me your must see/ must do at US/IOA

We will be making our first trip to US/IOA on January 9!

We are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel.

People going are me (38), dh (42), dd (13), dd (7), and active grandma (63).

We will have one day park to park tickets and would just like to see and do the best of the best. Crowd levels should be low, and with staying on-site we will have front of the line access to many rides/attractions, although with just one day there, I do want to maximize our time.

Thanks so much for all the advice!

Karen
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Old 12-24-2011, 01:17 PM   #2
elbodans
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i spent three days on site at US/IOA last may. then, in september, i took my mom for just one day (not staying on site.) that being said, it is definitely possible to do the highlights in one (long) day.

here was my plan of action...

hit IOA first (obviously) with the early entry. start in harry potter world. go directly to forbidden journey. it is the best ride in the world. then do anything else you want to do there--the other rides, the shops, the wand show. then, continue around the park in a counterclockwise direction--on to jurassic park and toon lagoon. the only other must-do attractions in IOA are spiderman (so cool) and maybe a spin on the carouseussal (for a photo op) if you are a coaster fan, you'll want to check out the hulk. personally, i hated it--it knocked my head around terribly. i'm assuming it will be too cold for any of the water rides, but if i had to pick only one, i'd go with jurassic park (the other two are kind of lame.)

if it was anywhere close to lunchtime, i'd then have lunch at mythos. it's in IOA and is fantastic. i'd then make my way over to US.

in US, my must-dos are shrek 4D, the simpsons, men in black, and the mummy. the mummy is the coolest coaster i've ever experienced.

if you are having dinner on site, consider going to portofino bay for a meal at mamma dellas. the food is fantastic and the resort is BEAUTIFUL. you can walk there in 10 minutes along a pretty path from hard rock.

hope that helped!
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Old 12-24-2011, 09:05 PM   #3
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I've only been to Universal Studios. I've been four times and love it!! A must is the Mummy ride! It's great! Twister, MIB, Terminator, ET, Mel's Drive-In, and City Walk are musts!! It's just a neat theme park. Have fun! Oh, and the Hard Rock Cafe is great! I forgot about the Horror Makeup Show that's really FUN!!!!
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Old 12-26-2011, 08:10 AM   #4
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My must do list:

US:

Shrek 4D
Terminator 2:3D
The Horror Makeup Show
ET
Men in Black
Revenge of the Mummy

IOA:

Hulk
Spiderman
Jurassic Park
Dragon's Challenge
Cat in the Hat

I haven't been since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, so I'm sure you will want to add that to your list.
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Old 12-28-2011, 01:45 AM   #5
mamajab
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Our Must-Do list:
IOA:
Forbidden Journey
Spiderman
Hulk
US:
MIB
Simpsons
Revenge of the Mummy
Rip Ride Rockit
Shrek 4-D
Horror Make-Up Show (a lot of fun, especially when I was picked to go onstage!)
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Old 12-29-2011, 01:40 PM   #6
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Hi Grandma. Now we know what the other youngins have recommendations to see. Put them all to bed tonight and take over the computer and browse through these sites.

The first two are images (pictures) and the other small shorts of actual videos.

Make YOUR list grandma. I hereby designate the day at US/IOA as GRANDMA'S DAY.

When you open the images double click on any interesting ones and a new box will open giving you more information and you can enlarge the picture.

Universal Studios Orlando - Bing Images

Islands of Adventure Orlando - Bing Images

These others might move so be careful.

To start the videos click on the pictures.

Universal Studios Orlando - YouTube

After you open this next site and see it backspace and remove the last "o" from Orlando. When it opens again take your choice of rides and hold on before you click your choice.

Islands of Adventure Orlando - YouTube

If you have problems wakeup one of the kids......they know everything about these gadgets.
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Old 01-07-2012, 08:15 PM   #7
Young Gang mom
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This is our first trip beyond the realms for Disney and are excited to see something new and exciting. These are wonderful lists and I can't wait to go myself next month!
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