Aquatica... twice a week is my goal. 2010 season - post #101

[SandrA9810]

so i showed up at like 6pm, cause i had to stop and get gas...

The park was still fairly busy and they were still taking payments at the toll booth. It looked like they were ready to close up shop, and there was no one directing traffic. Of course that late in the day, they let you park up front. I like the far end of the lot and take the side entrance up, next to the taxi area.

The slides were busy... all of them had a wait at least half way down the stairs, and the two tube slides had people all the way to the bottom. Tassie twister didn't seem to let up at all for the whole night.
The rao river was fairly full which makes it difficult because you're constantly running into people or trying to avoid hitting them from the back, but it doesn't seem like any one tries to move when they're about to hit you.
I ran into the most obnoxious kids. 2 annoying children on the racers, they push thier way past me on the last flight up. And when I said how bout you get back in line where you were, they told me there was two lines. I looked at them and said "No there isn't... it's one line... you wait your turn." Then another two little brats on the dolphin slide. They shoved past me and about 5 other people to get over to the blue slide. There were a couple people waiting for the green one, so the next person was standing on the steps. I got up to the top and told them "why don't you get back in line where you were, some of us are waiting to get on the blue one as well." One girl actually went back to her spot in line, and the other one went back a couple of people. So she had to wait for her friend to get down the slide like 3 people later.
And the most annoying person ever at walkabout. Every kid loves to get ahold of a dumping bucket, and it's fun to get people off guard as they walk underneath. Well I found one. And this lady was at one of the hoses with her hubby or something. But she kept spraying me. Like directly in my face for like 2 minutes every few minutes. Highly Highly annoying. Just because you can reach me, doesn't mean you have to continuely do it. You get a kid once or a couple times... that's it. But if the person is standing there at a bucket, leave them alone. And I was completly ignoring her, turning my back to the water so I could watch below me. But she thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I finally left and went to another favorite spot. I've had some kids want to get some nasty revenge on me for doucing them. I wonder what they did to her.

All in all... very busy from 6pm-8pm. There were some storm clouds rolling in, so I called it quites. By the end of the night, the racers were walk on, dolphin slide had a few people on the stairs. Tassie had a line almost to the bottom. The family ride had a few groups going down the first flight of stairs, and the other tube slides had enough to fill at least one flight of the stairs. And rao was quite enough to go around without running into people. But it's still more fun when it's nearly dead and you don't have to pay attention.

 

[1littlespark]

Yeah I can't say I like it too much when the Roa's River is too full. Especially when it's full of idiots who seem to have somehow forgotten they're not on their own private Island. Get a room! That and maniacal children kicking me in the face. It makes it hard to actually swim, however being able to swim gets truly necessary at times to get around some particularly dangerous people. Grown people putting on life jackets senselessly floating around like giant buoys! I tend to prefer avoid crashing into people and getting tangled.

Wow sounds like you met some lovely children that day! It's like most parents I see these days are either smacking their kids around, which I have a real problem with, or letting them run free like maniacs, and anyone who doesn't think their little darlings are just perfect - look out!

We were there Monday Night. It was pretty busy. Definitely got better as it got later. I think the kids should leave at 5. Ok, maybe 6. lol Wow that'd be nice.

We generally try to park right down the line of the main entrance. So far we've done ok. Of course...now that I said that...

I think we're going to try for Monday again. We might hit Sea World in the earlier part of the day, then head across to Aquatica. Gotta see. It may very well be too freakin' hot for Sea World, when I'm not really limited to the summer. I wish the extended hours for Aquatica lasted beyond the true summer. I get the impression it won't be cooling off too much here anytime near early September!

I want to have breakfast with the Count this Halloween Season. I've yet to do it. SW tends to refer to everything as being so specifically for children, though. I hate that. Why I haven't bothered to go for any of their Halloween Festivities. That's one thing I have to give to Disney. Yes, you pay for MNSSHP but it's totally for adults who are interested as much as the kids.

 

[SandrA9810]

Well I went there last night, but it was a totally different crowd. I had lots of fun in walkabout, and even though the roa was full, i didn't run into the idiots. I also stayed till 9pm in the water and by 8:30 it was totally quiet. But there was still a line to the bottom for tassie twister. I know the inner tubes take up a lot of space, but still. I only waited 2 flights for the racers, but of course that's fast because there's 8 lanes.

Ohh yeah, let me not forget to tell you about trying to take a shower that night (thursday)... so I like using the bathrooms next to walkabout because it's generally quieter than the rest. That night there was a mom with a little girl like 6yrs old, and she allowed her to play with the straw out of cup, making it into a flute. The lady wasn't even ready to take her shower. I was in the shower for like a minute before it drove me nuts, thankfully i hadn't taken off my bathing suit yet, i was just rinsing off... so i had to pack everything up again and took it over to the main showers.

I think we're gonna go tomorrow. At least that's the plan for Kari.

 

[1littlespark]

You went last night? We were in Orlando from the afternoon and the weather was so bad we gave up in the evening and just did other things. Guess we'll have to try for another day.


I didn't know any of the other bathrooms had showers. I've only used the main ones. I don't know if I'll ever bother doing that again anyway. I'm not so good with the whole public thing (people are disgusting) a lot of the dispensers were empty and the conditioner was almost no help at all in fixing the whole nasty thing my hair does from chlorine these days. I guess if I ever go early and I'm going out after, I could bring my own stuff, but I'd rather not have to do it.

One of these days I'm thinking of heading over there on my own. I just hate doing the drive. It's really not so bad. I'm just not used to it yet.

 

[SandrA9810]

actually a lot of the pumps just don't like to work. But I was in there one night towards closing and the lady pulled the bottles out of the shower next to me. I put them back in for her and saw how it came apart. It's not really tricky, but I've discovered that thier shampoo doesn't do a great job at getting the chlorine out. I've bought sauves swim and sport and that's greatly helped. It's two bucks and it's in the kids section, 2 in 1. Then I use thier conditioner to help soften it up a bit.
I can't stand getting into the car wet... probably cause it's covered in dog fur and it would stick to me a lot worse. I've never had a problem with taking showers there. Although you have to be careful of people who open the outside curtain to "check" to see if any one is using it. This happened to me that night, and usually I'll pull the towel into the shower area for drying off before going to the outer one to get dressed, but my shower wouldn't turn off and some one opened the curtain like 5 inches. Of course there had to be some one standing near the curtain so I wasn't about to reach out to shut it and risk showing myself. So I just hung out for a while waiting for the chance to close it. I just wear my sandals into the shower, the floors can be iffy and sometimes covered in sand.
Ohh the bathrooms next to walkabout, when you go in the sinks are there on your right and to your left are two rows of stalls, and if you look to your left and behind, you'll see a entry way to the showers... just look at the tile there's a "green" path to the showers.


Today/tuesday turned out to be totally miserable for theme parks. So kari got to stay home and play her video game all day. You'll have to let me know the next time you make it over, then you don't have to feel like you're going alone. And doing things with some one else is a lot more fun. And a lot easier to carry up those stupid double tubes for the slides (that kari won't go on with me).

 

[1littlespark]

Oh yeah, I totally make sure I wear sandals even for a quick trip to the bathrooms, there.

Yeah the weather has been pretty miserable. I guess we need it and my lawn is finally green again, but we haven't gotten much of a break lately and not on the days I could go over to Orlando. As I type this I'm listening to more thunder.

I'll have to let you know when I think I might finally get the will to drag my lazy-butt over there. lol We'll see if I have the guts to do any of the slides. I think I mentioned I screamed like an idiot the whole way down the slide in walkabout waters. I think it was the green. Pretty sad.

 

[SandrA9810]

You weren't the only one listening to thunder. I about jumped out of my skin when there was a crack of lightening right outside my window. Scared my room-mate too.

Kari will go on most of them. The set of four next to the wave pull, she'll only do the pink and yellow because she can "see" going down, she'll do the swervy family one, but not the one that goes in a straight line. And she won't do the racers or tassie.

 

[1littlespark]

So far I've done no rides unless you count the kiddie area slide...and you probably don't. I think years ago I did a couple of rides at Typhoon Lagoon and I probably never did any at Blizzard Beach. I'd say Kari is probably much braver than I am.

This whole storm thing is getting old. I know we need the rain but the entire 10 day forecast just sucks all around! I haven't been there now in a while.

 

[SandrA9810]

You'd probably have a blast with Kari. Her tolerance for rides is really limited, and so if she can go on it any one can. The first time I took her on the shamu coaster, she screamed her head off probably scaring every child in the ride. I had to slap my hand over her mouth so it wouldn't be so loud. And yes, I HAD to buy the picture of her, she's just absolutely terrified.

And the weather has been absolute miserable. We spent the day yesterday at Sea World one of her friends wanted to go. On top of that, she (the friend) wanted to sit in the splash zone for believe, so when I get us seats 2 rows up from the bottom, she whines she can't see the whales and hikes it up to the top and we get left getting soaked. Unfortantly shamu didn't soak us during Rocks when we pinned her down to the seat. I got seats just off to the side of the center so she'd be close to the whale as possible. BTW, I have very little tolerance for this friend and Kari knows it, so yesterday I was stretched pretty thin by her.

 

[1littlespark]

We have a picture of me on California Screaming that's pretty funny.

I hear ya, about going to a park with people you're less than crazy about spending time with. Last summer we did SW with inlaws and it was horrible all around. I'm almost surprised we didn't get thrown out of the park because of my completely insane (and I don't mean that in the fun way) BIL. The only saving grace was seeing my ridiculously overly made up, hair sprayed, pancaked face SIL get completely drenched by Shamu in the two best splash of the entire show. It was such a fiasco, it's probably part of the reason I haven't felt like going back much.

We went last Sunday & Monday in the evenings. Monday was much better as far as crowds go. It was a nice night all around. I like swimming in Roa's when they have a lot of the lights off. So far I have no idea which day we're going back, but I know we're going to PI to see Harry Potter Wednesday. I'm toying with the idea of checking out that new restaurant there.

 

[SandrA9810]

Wensday or opening midnight showing??? I've got tickets to the midnight showing. I was thinking about getting wensday evening tickets, but Kari's been schedule late on that day. So I figured I should take my chance with the midnight showing. Thankfully she wasn't scheduled either day, so she picked up a shift that wouldn't get in the way of it. I'm so excited. ^.^ did I mention I'm excited???

Now back to aquatica....

Rain Rain go away come back another day...
It's raining it pouring, the old man is snoring...
drip drip drop little April showers, beating a tune as you fall all around
drip drip drop little April showers, what can compare to your beautiful sound...
And the rain rain rain came down down down, in rushing rising rivlets
Till the river crept out of its bed, and crept right into Piglet's...
I'm just a little black rain cloud, hovering over a hunny tree
I'm only a little black rain cloud, pay no attention to little me
Ohh every one knows that rain clouds never eat hunny, no not a nip...

I think you get my point.
(Did you know there's only two Disney songs related to rain?? Pooh's and Bambi's)

 

[1littlespark]

Regrettably I meant Wednesday evening. My friend actually called me and said she wanted to go with us, even if it was he midnight show (shocking for her), which is when I always go, but my hb has to work too early in the morning. That reminds me, I really need to bug her about that. I was trying to tell her we should buy tickets early and that since we could get there much earlier than her, that we should probably go line up at the theatre to make sure we don't get stuck sitting in crappy seats. Never got a response.

I hadn't given the Disney songs related to rain thing any thought, no. lol Good to know. Yeah this is getting old. It just started pouring again while I was typing this. It's seriously cutting into the extended hours season at Aquatica! Btw, if you want my email address or facebook or something, PM me.

 

[SandrA9810]

And ruin one of my best running topics???

I'm sorry you have to wait till the next night to see it. I'm guessing it's going to be a mad house. It usually is no matter what. Presell tickets went on sale jun 26th, I got mine like on the 29th or something. 12:01 theater 2. We're gonna be hanging out tomorrow around DTD and stuff. Keeping an eye on the crowds. I either like to be first or last, I hate being squished in the middle of a mob. Drives Kari nuts too because she doesn't have much patience for waiting in line. She drives me nuts because she goes wandering off to look at other things, and I embarres her by yelling at her to get over to me when I'm ready to pay and leave so she can grab the bags.

I promise to keep my mouth shut about it till you get to see it. I don't want to ruin the movie for you.

 

[1littlespark]

lol ok. I just figured I'd offer, since this goes OT quite a bit, and some people are really touchy about that sort of thing and it's mostly been a 2 sided convo.

Kari sounds a lot like my husband btw. lol Drives me nuts. He acts like he's too good to stand in lines with everybody else, tries to wonder, etc.

I read the book the weekend it came out, so you couldn't really spoil the story too much, but I guess as far as the movie part of things go, it's good no to hear anything until I see it myself. 3 was the one they ruined the most, IMO. We're aiming for 7:30 Wednesday. My friend got her tickets last night. I didn't get mine yet because I couldn't find my moviewatcher card and didn't want to pay the 2 bucks fee if I could avoid it and we can't get the cast discount that way, either. I'm planning on trying to go there when we can about 2:30 Wednesday and try to grab tickets then. Then go have lunch or whatever before seeing about lining up as it gets closer, since she can't be there until a bit later. I sure hope getting tix won't be a problem.

 

[SandrA9810]

I hope you saw it, but I won't say much about it. And I try to keep it on topic. Any time I go I always report back how crowded I felt it was. And if they've had to reschedule the launch 6 times now, you know the weather is terrible.

So HP... do you think they've could've cut more out of the book??? And what was with that whole opening??? Totally not in the book. I was so looking forward to Dumbledore making fun of the dursley's. Come on, what could be better?? And things that take like days or weeks are turned into a few hours... like ron being in the hospital. And why they heck did they spend twenty minute on bellatix and fenrir at the burrow??? NOTHING of the sort happened like that at the burrow... well besides Ginny and Harry almost kissing. And why didn't Dumbledore have Harry frozen in the invisibility cloak at the end??? It's like they hacked it to pieces worse than 5. And on an odd note.. Did you notice that Ginny is as tall as Harry??
Why couldn't they have done extended versions like Lord of the Rings?? Those are like 4hrs long... these need to be just as long.

 

[1littlespark]

As it turned out 7:30 was sold out when we got there around 2pm. My friend got a little pissy with me about having to change the time, but it turns out it was a darn good thing because the line was already forming for the 8:15 way early, and the 7:30 let into the theatre before they even got there. So, had we been set on that time it would have been a disaster. The later one was also mostly adults, anyway.

I guess I'm glad to say in this case that I read the book so long ago it wasn't fresh enough in my mind to be really annoyed by the movie. I would say I enjoyed watching it. Of course it's also been so darn long since a HP movie at all it was good to have it back! I did feel confused about some things and as though I was missing something. Or more so that it was missing something. I found myself throwing my hands up a lot as if to say, "huh?" or maybe "what the heck?" My husband strongly disliked it. Didn't really make a note of Ginny's height, but I noticed Draco shot up. That and I'm thrilled they got that kid some acting lessons before he had to really do anything important.

I still hate the new (or formerly new anyway) Dumbledore. Of course, given the plot of this movie, I suppose in a way that makes it easier to watch. lol One part that irked me quite a bit was the cave scene. It was a really powerful part of the book and they botched it. Harry gave in WAY too uncharacteristically easily and he was force feeding Dumbledore almost immediately as if he didn't care. That book had such strong emotions emanating from like every page and the movie barely captured any of it. Once again I suppose it was like watching the movie adaptation of the cliff notes. In this case, maybe the cliff notes missing a bunch of pages? I mean this is it, this is where the really big stuff happens now. They've got to do this right. Especially 7. That specific part near the end made the author cry when she was writing it for heaven's sake and a gazillion people after it was published. The movie has to capture that! At this rate, it doesn't look good for that, though.

 

[SandrA9810]

Like I can picture the characters like in a movie when I'm reading the book. And then when I watch the movie I'm horribly disappointed because it's not as i imagined it. There's a good topic on the community board for the movie and some people give some good reasons why the movie turned out the way it did. At least you don't seem to have as many complaints as I did about it.

 

[1littlespark]

It's because I read it so long ago,so I was able to watch it more as a standalone sort of movie, just being in a mild state of puzzlement wondering how they were going to fit the entire book in how little had to be left of the movie.

Was considering Aquatica for tomorrow evening, but it's not looking good weather-wise. Had a nasty storm this evening and the power kept flashing on and off.

 

[SandrA9810]

Well I won't be able to go to the water parks for another week... then I have to go to Texas to visit my aunt... blah. Hopefully I'll get in some pool time before I leave on Aug 4... I know it'll be hotter than blazes out there.
It's funny, my aunt was like, make sure you bring your bathing suit. You and your cousin can go swimming in the pool. I'm highly addicted to Water Parks now that I find swimming pools just so boring...

 

[1littlespark]

We went last night. Well, first we went in the afternoon and it was INSANELY busy! Tour groups etc. Haven't seen it that bad before. It was also hot as hell, but go figure. We ended up leaving, going to the Ale House & then going back. Thankfully by then it was much better. Did more hanging out than swimming this time because my hb wasn't really into it and I usually would just go alone but didn't feel like it tonight. Did a few laps in Roa's.

Hope your trip to your Aunt's is safe and you have a good time, even if there is just a boring old pool.