Universal Studios

After 2 days in Disneyland, our group took a bus tour to Universal Studios for the day.  It ended up being the coolest day of our trip with even a little rain.  Our visit fell on a Saturday which brought in the local crowds and with the weather impacting most of the activities for the smaller kids, we quickly realized Universal Studios was not the best fit for our young family. 

It may have been a better fit for the age ranges of Amy & Elmer's family because the rides few rides that they did have were incredible.  Carol splurged on the "Front of the Line Passes" for us which made all the difference on this busy day!  Most of the big attractions had 75 minute wait times and we really did get to jump right to the front of the line.  It was really helpful for taking turns watching kids and allowed Kevin & I to ride some fun rides. 

Clara did like getting to see a lot of "characters" and have her photo taken with them.

She LOVED meeting Dora and stared at her the entire time we were waiting.  She told me once we were home and looking at photos that she didn't realize that Diego was there.  That was most likely because she couldn't take her eyes off of Dora!

Even characters she was unfamiliar with were fun to meet!

One bad decision Mommy & Daddy made was taking Clara on the Simpson's ride.  It was our first stop once inside the park as recommended by our tour bus driver.  She explained that is was virtual reality and really fun.  Clara was well over the height requirements so we walked right up and within minutes (thanks to our great passes) were all on the ride.  As we get into the seat and realize how well we were strapped in, I should have known better, but Clara was blissfully enjoying the silly cartoon and bright colors around her.  Then the ride takes off...  Let's just say that we took our four year old on the equivalent of an upside down roller coaster with inappropriate content, like a crazy cartoon character trying to kill the people on the roller coaster.  Poor innocent child will never look at rides the same way!  BIG lesson learned!

Mommy & Daddy's favorite part of the trip had to have been the classic bus tour through the Universal lot.  As big fans of the movies, it was pretty awesome to see.  As a super Hitch fan, my favorite had to have been seeing the Bates Motel and house from Psycho.  Again, most of this tour scared the pants off of poor Clara.  I expected the Jaws set, a flash flood and views of the lot, but had I known about the King Kong experience, I probably would have arranged for her to skip the tour. 

Janie on the other hand thought most things were funny.  She spent a lot of time with her Uncle, especially Uncle Elmer who doted on her most of the trip. 

Luckily the day at Universal Studios ended on a high note with a fun Animals from the Movies show that had her laughing and smiling for a half hour straight!  Plus her cousins and Grandma were there to share in the fun!