Of Ducks, Mice, Fireworks, Food, Wizardz & Frivolity

Day 6 – Waffle House / Downtown Disney
Day 6 was a welcome and necessary day off. By this point, after six theme parks, our feet were ready to fall off and our minds needed a break from the screaming 3-year olds and exasperated parents. Nothing spells relief like a Waffle House.

We spent most of the day just relaxing, doing some laundry and hanging around the pool. We did venture out in the evening to visit Downtown Disney, a strip of shops and restaurants along the waterfront on Disney property. After enjoying a fine dinner at one of the many eateries (whilst taking in fireworks from the distant Magic Kingdom), we took a stroll to some of the shops, finishing up at the Lego store where we got some magnets and watched screaming 3-year olds contaminate giant vats of Lego pieces with whatever foods and illness they may have absorbed throughout the day.

A welcomed uneventful day ended with an early bedtime as we fell asleep to the sounds of Joe Buck’s call of the World Series. Lemme tell you, you haven’t been soothed to sleep until you’ve been soothed to sleep by Buck’s dulcet tones as he and co-commentator Tim McCarver share such pearls of wisdom as “the team with more runs will win the game” and “pitchers need to throw strikes instead of balls.”

Day 7 – Islands of Adventure / Universal Studios
Having visited every theme park save Sea World in central Florida, our focus slowly shifted to visiting any attractions we missed while picking up souvenirs for the unfortunate souls enduring 30-degree weather and sleet back home in Western New York. Oh, how we wept for all of you back in the 716 as we suffered under cloudless blue skies and 75-degree days.

We were fortunate to be able to buy park tickets for both Disney and Universal through Melanie’s corporate perks program but, as a result, we had a total of 5 days worth of Disney passes and 4 days of Universal. Had we actually used all of those days, we would’ve A) missed our flight home and B) gone insane and worn our feet to nubs. Nubz. Thus, we traveled to Universal for a second day, even though we’d done pretty much everything we’d set out to the first time around earlier in the week. However, one attraction we missed earlier had been Poseidon’s Fury…and let me tell you, we were completely unprepared for the rage of the ancient water god as we entered the doors of his temple.

Well, maybe not. This “ride” was essentially a 20-yard walk through 3 rooms, climaxing with a fight between two dudes dressed in 3rd rate Halloween costumes who shot laser beams out of their trident or hands, depending on their status as water god or evil sorcerer. I prefer to think of “Poseidon’s Fury” from this day forth as an iteration of “Montezuma’s Revenge.” Eat that bowl of nachos at your own risk, mortals, lest ye risk the rage of Poseidon.

I forced Melanie back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where we picked up some additional magic wandz for our respective sisters. Once inside the walls of Harry’s world, however, Melanie was enamored of the enormous treats that lie within the shops.

Our wizarding needs sated, we headed back to Jurassic Park to get Melanie her fill of dinosaurs for the day. Unfortunately, when confronted with the towering T-rex statue, she cried out in fear and pooped her pants*.

*I might be kidding.

*Probably not true.

We watched the video after the ride and in light of the fact our heads were cut off in the video because we’re both so tall, opted not to purchase. And thus ended our time at Universal. Adieu, wizardz.

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