Ahh vacation (Part One - Orlando). The day I went away (the 28th) it was raining, which is long overdue, and it appears to have rained the day I returned too. I've been told we got plenty while I was gone, which would explain the bird bath being full and the grass I thought dead being green again! This time I managed to snag a nicely priced flight out of Johnstown. With what it costs at airports to park (it's free here) and the cost of gas, it just made sense.

The first two days were spent in Orlando, hitting up Universal Studios. We booked through their site and ended up at a Fairfield. The hotel wasn't dirty, but it wasn't what I've grown accustom to, sadly, especially for the prices. Let me tell you about sticker shock when you're a frequent cruiser who's shopping to spend just a mere two days and three nights in Orlando near the parks! They had a shuttle to and from the hotel to the parks, but the hotels aren't on the main bus routes and direct shuttles were obscenely priced as well. We managed to get there with a bus ride followed by a short taxi ride, less than desirable, but way cheaper than the shuttles. Meh, I'm a cheap bastage.

Our first day there was spent at Islands of Adventure, the primary destination, so the girl-child could check out the Harry Potter area - which was AWESOME. LOVE LOVE LOVE the main ride/attraction in there, and the streets capture the feel beautifully. The butter beer was yummy too :) The park as a whole has a nice balance between young kid areas and entertainment for the more mature tastes. By damn it was hot those two days though, I'll tell you what. The morning wasn't too awful, but by 2pm I was sweated totally through. Day two was the regular Universal Studios park. I remember being there when I was in high school for music in the parks, and still love my photo of the Psycho house from way back then... too bad it's long gone now. We enjoyed the Mummy coaster in this park the most and rocked out some time watching Barney (yes the big purple dinosaur). I can't believe my nephew was wee little when that was popular. I'm old.