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Writer's pictureDean Fletcher

40 inch Nij. Florida 2024: Day 8

Updated: Oct 4


Back to the Studios today…this time Universal. Yeaaaahhhh. We’ve still got lots to explore since Helene ruined our last trip here…naughty naughty.


Saved $16 on parking…we’re slowly getting that $800 upcharge for the annual passes back; it’ll all the worth it, at this rate I should break even in a about 4 years time…wait, what?! No, no Dean, it’s all worth it just to smugly walk around the Universal Resorts wearing UOAP merch, and utilising the A/C in the Passholder lounges. Speaking of perks…today was release day for a new Passholder magnet…I’ll take 4 please. Memories for the kids init.


Stop off for pics in Hollywood with the 3 worse members of Mystery Inc plus Shaggy. No idea where Scooby was, guess he was midway though his morning Scooby Snack brekkie after working up an appetite chasing baddies and unmasking some very naughty people at Halloween Horror Nights (that joke would work better if last night was a HHN night…those in the know will be in a rage I’m sure). Nice albeit slightly awkward interaction, but then I’d be awkward talking to kids if all I dealt with day to day was masked men (and woman…we can’t stereotype) playing dress up.


Magnet acquired, awkward interaction aside (we don’t even chance a hello to Doc Brown or Betty Boop), we once again hit up Villain Con, and fail to join the Vicious 6…this is getting embarrassing now; there are only so many times you can try and fail before you give up altogether. Yep, Minion blast…quality interactive moving walkway…only marginally more enthralling than the walk from the car park. I do really enjoy this though, but would enjoy more of my insanely high score was recorded on my gamertag. Think Universal are intentionally messing up the link to my gun so I don’t embarrass them.


Jimmy Fallon and his Race Through New York next, and a great opportunity for Alaska to claim another exotic pet for her collection…this time in the form of a 6 foot Panda. “You’re my Panda!”…sorry bud,  this is your life now. Ahh this was lovely mind, saw Hashtag Panda 3 times in total, and every time they stopped to give Alaska a huge cuddle. Ride itself isn’t the greatest (it replaced Twister so had big boots to fill), but I like Jimmy Fals, so it gets a pass.


HHN Tribute store? More merch? Of course…collecting HHN shirts like grown up Pokemon cards is my new September/October hobby…on ok then kids, you go ahead an stamp the shit out of the projection mapped cockroaches. Ok you can stop now…Come on, that’s enough, you’re stamping a hole in the floor…GRAYSON! ALASKA!…MOVE!!. Bloody hell mun, they’d still be there now stamping hell out of the floor like some weird Horror version of that Dance, Dance Revolution game…strange kids.


“40 inch Nij, 40 inch Nij”…echo’s resound across the Transformers like as Alaska passes yet another test and demonstrated her inch growth in a week. Time to join Optimus and Bee and kick some Decepticon ass!!

What you think little Loo? Yeah, she wasn’t a fan… “Yeah cos everything was blurry; you didn’t have your glasses on”. She was scared Gray mun, I remember 2 years ago a certain little boy having a panic attack as we were boarding, causing unimaginable shame and embarrassment to me and Paigey.


Catch up with Stan Shunpike and the Sheunken head for a really fun meet and greet…that head has more attitude than Alaska and more Sass than Grayson…powers combined. Hilarious, and great to see him absolutely berating some random

bloke who’s self awareness was void as he ignores the line and more or less walks through the kids…great to see the invisibility cloak I bought is working.


Cloak off…we’re off to Springfield. I love this land, but the rides are a bit shit…so here for one reason…Fast Food Boulevard…more specifically, the Basket O Bait. I know it’s not great, but it feeds us easy, it’s fun theming in the restaurant, and we just enjoy the atmosphere here…even if you do have to fight to the death for a table. It’s bloody mental mun.


Time to check out the new Dreamworks land…don’t get too soaked please kids, you have all day…ahhh GRAYSON MUN!!! Bloody soaked!! Both of them. It’s ok, you got all day to dry off I guess, but you ain’t coming near the stroller like that. Some fun things for kids around here to burn off their energy…interactive games, play areas, and a really fun show…Imagination Celebration!! This was really fun, and had us all dancing along with King Julien…we like to move it, move it!!


Hop on the Trollololololocoaster (that’s our new name for it anyways)…rethemed Woody Woodpecker coaster, but still fun. “Dean mun”…who the hell was that?? Bloody hell, only my best butty Lloyd. Holy shit…wait there bud, I’m off on an adventure with the Trolls.


Of all places, we catch up with some of our best friends Lloyd, Kim and their awesome family…we love these guys and was fun to have a catch up with the gang in Dreamworks land…some quick manly hugs and high fives and off we go…catch you guys later.


“Can we go on the Black Man?”…bloody hell Grayson, please don’t shout that out…yes we can go on Men in Black…fancy getting beaten at another game I guess is it? Best take that ET hat off kid, you’ll get blasted within an inch of your life…he’s a Baaad Alien. OMG can you believe it…Grayson beat my score??!! Must have been the virulent defence of ET…well done kid, saved the Galaxy!! (Shhhh, don’t tell him I absolutely trounced his score; he was so happy).


Catch up with Jo and Alaska at Diagon Alley…watch the Dragon fume and rage at being stuck atop Gringotts. Poor thing hasn’t come down in 10 years, must have a fear of heights or something. Jo and Gray go off to pillage the vaults (grabs as much as you can, we have Bibbiddi Bobbidi Boutique tomorrow, we’re gonna need all the money we can get). Meanwhile, distancing ourselves from being shunned by the magical community further and muddying the name of the muggle, me and Alaska hop across to Hogsmead via the Hogwarts Express. Still love this little ride, it’s so much fun and totally blew Alaskas mind…if only all travel was this easy…I mean, minus the Dementors.


Honeydukes for some much needed sugar…yeah like the kids need anymore. Few caramels, some sugary mice and two hyped up kids…yep…magic.


Jurassic park to finally ride River Adventure…the ride that Grayson is adamant has two separate ride pathways…it’s just that damn Hadrosaur managed to divert us every time we have ridden it…pesky Dino. He was shitting it on here mind, had past trauma apparently, and nightmares of Gallimimus and Velociraptors haunting his dreams. Wanna ride again? of course he did…at the expenses of a nighttime ride for me and Jo on Velocicoaster! And the kids think they are hard done by…poor Dean and Jordan.


Park closed means that only window licking (I mean window shopping) for Jordan in the Secret Life of Pets store…pity, she really needed more Poodle shit…next time babes.


Time to leave, and a quick trip to Walmart with Lloyd and Kim…damn this place is overwhelming after a long day in the parks. Some more Mountain Dew?? Of course, they have new flavours.


Popeyes for dinner (Popeyes chicken is fuckin’ awesome…who got that reference?), and only a brief hour ride home through the nightmare diversion of Orlando’s road systems…this was fun 😂. Chicken at 11pm, up at 6am…only in Florida 😂


Magic Kingdom, Crystal Palace and BBB tomorrow, gonna be a good one…if I can deal with the trauma of MK rope drop!


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