Vactionlog 2008.05.10: Feeling better

Well, I'm back. As I last blogged, I was coming down with a cold, and Thursday it hit pretty hard. We didn't end up doing much, except sleeping in and lounging around. By Friday, I was feeling a lot better, so we spent the day at the Universal Studios themepark.

On Thursday, we had lunch at Havana's Cuban Cafe (8544 Palm Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32836). It was a little warm in the restaurant, but after moving to a seat towards the back, it was bearable. The food was very good, but not better than Bongos Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney. We had hoped it would be a good, less-expensive, alternative to Bongos. The location and atmosphere at Bongos makes it worth the few dollars more.

Friday started out at one of our favorite places for breakfast, Cracker Barrel. Lourdes had pecan pancakes, which is her usual. I was also in the mood for pancakes, so I opted for them over my usual Uncle Hershel's breakfast, which includes eggs, grits and sausage & biscuits.

Then we were off to Universal for a day of fun. We started out on the Shrek 4-D attraction, which is one of the first as you enter the park. Later, we had a great time fighting aliens at the Men In Black Alien Attack ride. The disparity in our scores was a clear indication of which one of us grew up playing video games!

At the Disaster attraction, Lourdes was selected to play the "Gardening Granny" in the Muther Nature disaster film! It was a lot of fun, and seeing her go "POOF!" at the end of the trailer was just too funny. I captured the trailer with our video camera, so I'll have to try to upload at least the end of the it to Flickr or YouTube...

The best, we both agreed, was Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride. We had a backpack, and the ride does not allow any loose bags. The same was true for the MIB ride, so we didn't think too much about it. I stayed with the bags while Lourdes went first. She didn't happen to notice the many signs leading up to the ride that state: "This is a high-speed roller coaster." So, she was in for quite a surprise. Of course, she warned me before my turn, but they aren't kidding! The ride is short, but it is very fast at times. Like most of the attractions at Universal, it is inside, so it's not like a regular roller coaster. It's more like Space Mountain, with an occasional interruption by an angry mummy.

Check out some of the pictures from the day at Flickr.

Today, Saturday, was another day to recuperate. We started out at the photo shoot for the complimentary 5X7 picture here at the resort. The photographer, Stephanie, was very good, but we just don't look good enough to splurge on more pictures. Last year we did get a couple of extra prints, but this year we decided we'd just go with the one 5x7.

It was close to 100° F today, so we opted for an indoor activity. We went to the AMC Theater at Downtown Disney and saw What Happens in Vegas with Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. It is a little "out there," but we liked it. Plenty of laughs. Very typical and predictable, but worth the matinee admission (only $6 here, compared to $10 regular price).

Right across from the theater is Bongos, so we had to stop there for a late lunch. I had Ropa Vieja, which is a delicious shredded beef in a tomato sauce. Lourdes had Chino Cubano Arroz Frito Especial (Cuban Chinese Fried Rice Special, with pork, chicken and shrimp). She commented that she has had better Chino Cubano in Miami.

Tonight we had a video call with my mother-in-law. We got to see our three doggies who are staying with her. Of course, they don't quite get the whole video call thing, but that's OK, I'm sure we miss them more than they miss us.

I'm not sure what's on tap for tomorrow. Maybe we'll head back to Universal. The big swim with the dolphins is coming up on Monday, so whatever we do, we don't want to over do it.