beyondthepalace

Lemonade shake ups are basically your typical lemonade but made in front of you (instead of pre-made). I usually prefer this method because most of the time not all the sugar dissolves so you have a nice lemony sugar treat at the bottom of your cup

IMO Kermit's Key Lime Pie is leaps and bounds better then Blonde Giraffe. The overall quality seems more fresh. Kermit himself is at the store a lot (well at least everytime I have been there, I have talked with him). I also enjoy the fact that he has a satellite store in Mt Dora that I can hit up everynow and then (45min away from me instead of 8ish hours)

Looking at the the Dollywood website, it doesnt mention the pricing yet for the qbot for 2011...how much was it for you?

How long would you say it took you to go around Dollywood with the q-bot. We are headed there in a few months and was just curious if we should plan to stay there from park open to park close

Amazing train design!! Now there will definitely be a good reason to get QuickQueue!

We love Key West and honestly wished we could get down there more often. Walking everywhere around the Duval St. area is lots of fun, even if you don't spend a dime on the tacky tourist stuff. My fav restaurant is Blue Heaven...nice outside dining at the site of a former boxing ring (used by Ernest Hemingway), a former bordello, and cockfighting arena (there is actually a rooster graveyard near the outside bar)

1999: Enchanted Oak Tavern & Alchemy Bar IOA 2002-2004: Back to the Future USF 2004-2005 Kidzone USF 2005-2006: Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges IOA 2006-Current: Sales & Marketing Universal Orlando @ Hard Rock Hotel

I am beyond p*ssed that I did not go to the Strawberry Fest this year. ...I know that they have some of the more far out carnie foods but I did not expect them to have the Ice Cream burger and the other fried yummy yums

I past by this place a lot but always forget about it when we are out on our mini golf outings. There was a special for it on a Groupon-type site not so long ago...should have gotten it.

Agreed. The closest we come to food trucks here in Orlando is at the fairs, and even that is pretty crappy here. Central FL and Osceola Fair have none of the specialty fair foods (fried pepsi and the like).

Allegedly. But after the dreadful shark diving show, and a failed attempt to see the otter show (which was prohibitively crowded, due to the otters not being in their exhibit during non-show times), we sort of gave up on the shows. Sorry. No worries....I see that the Gatlinburg Aquarium has a new-ish penguin encounter/igloo/whatever...didn't make it to the aquarium last time but in June we will for sure.

I hear that there is some sort of Penguin encounter/meet n greet of some kind??

We went on opening night since a few of my family have the Platinum pass (they got in free) and I had a nice discount ticket waiting for me. As mentioned before, not long lines made the evening. Also mentioned before is the fact they recycle a lot of their houses year to year. We now try to go every other year so with a a few exceptions, we get new experiences.

Jealous of all the great pics that were taken...Jakizle, Erik and BB what types of cameras do you guys use?

As mentioned above...this place is not even worth free admission. It truely is that bad. So the question for you Erik & Smisty....which was more of a trap: Wonderworks or Dinosaur World?

Good call Robb....I guess I have just been getting caught up in this Wizard nonsense!

A true lost to the Amusement Industry. Though Holiday World is on my list of parks that I must get to, simply reading about how this man operated such a wonderful place is an inspiration. I wish that many other places cared about their product as much as Mr. Koch.

I think this is insane that tickets for HHN have gone on sale so early this year. I guess they want to put some things out before WWoHP Grand Opening and to match Busch Gardens selling their Howl 'o Scream tickets.

Rockit is not rough as in Manhatten Express rough (at NYNY in Las Vegas) just the one time it just had more effect on me then usual Dragons Challenge is not rough at all. Alpengeist at BG Williamsburg was one of the roughest inverted that I had been on in some time. Universal Orlando is only about 10-15 minute drive away from Sea World

1. Yes both parks do have wheelchairs that you can rent out on a daily basis. $12 a day with a $50 deposit. You can rent in either park, use it in both parks and return it at either park. 2. There are plenty of areas where your grandparents can relax while you are on the major rides. Whether it be a store or a restaurant for A/C or shade, they will be able to find it. 3. As far as wait times, you are going during our peak season so expect 45min+ for Rockitt, 30-45+ for Mummy, 45+ Hulk, 45-60+ for Jurassic Park, 60+ for Ripsaw Falls. So basically 30min or more for the coasters and an hour or more for the water rides. Keep in mind Dueling Dragons has now been rethemed as part of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. With the crowds expected this summer, expect to wait significantly long waits for Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff and possibly a few hour wait for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. 4. You will need AT LEAST a full day for each park. If you do not have Express, it may take you longer. 5. The parks are wonderful. Keep in mind that you are coming during the summer so the crowds will have a lot to do with whether or not you have a fun time. If you are patient and just enjoy USF and IOA in all its glory then you will have fun. USF will have a Summer Concert Series every Sat night from June 12 - July 17th so you get a free concert with your ticket. Of course IOA has WWoHP. 6. From my experiences last week when I hit all up these coasters, the one that threw me for a loop the most was Rockit. Yes I can confirm that one or two of the trains are rougher then the others for some reason. Keep in mind that Hulk and Mummy have launch elements to them which may catch you off guard. 7. There is Universal Express. You can purchase for either one park or both PER DAY. The way it works is this: you purchase the Express pass and head to which ever attraction you want that paricipates in Express. You show your pass to the greeter and you will be guided into a seperate lane. The idea is to hve 15-20 minute wait times. Of course in the summer at the water rides you may wait longer. You get one visit per attraction with the Express Pass. The cost varies from $20 and up depending on time of year and day. For the summer expect to pay nearly $60 in addition to admission for a one day express pass to both parks. The Express Pass does not currently work at any WWoHP rides or the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Now if you get to stay at the Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, or Royal Pacific Resort (the three onsite properties) your room key is good for unlimited express. 8. It is very difficult to determine an exact time because everyones definition of major rides is different. If you only do the major rides and have express, you MAY get it all done in one day. That is the best case scenario. But as mentioned in a previous section, plan on taking two days to see what you want. If you have any more questions, please feel free to DM or just post them here!

GKTW Village is an amazing place. My team and I got the chance to do some volunteer landscaping work after Hurricane Charley went through. I was blown away at the amazing opportunities the kids and the families have here. Besides the Dino-Putt (who knew one of the Trikes was moved here!) Universal also puts on a non-scary haunted house here during Halloween.

Yup, They Actually do ! GASP....gotta gotta gotta get some of that!

Reading through countless page after page, I still think Robb's post about comparing WWoHP to the Star Trek Experience is the best comparison for us non-Potter fans (Muggles, whatever). I went to WWoHP and experienced everything except the ride portion of FJ. I think it was pretty good but obviously there is a lot more that will be enjoyed if you are a fan of the franchise. My experience with Star Trek was the same. Ok I get some of the things but NOT everything. Does WWoHP make me want to watch all the movies and/or read the books? Not a chance. But I will still visit this area and enjoy it for what it is...even though I don't get everything.

I WILL get to that park once in my lifetime...no mater what it takes!! BTW...do they sell merchandise with the farting dog on it?

WWoHP is freaking amazing! It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to theming and detail but this completely blew me out of the water! Will not/can not go into major details for many reasons but I believe everyone will be impressed. Frozen Butterbeer is the bomb fyi!