Back to Universal Studios on this day, but this time with a crowd of other folks. I think Colby's crew and Granddaddy's crew came in slightly behind us, but we all settled together after a ride of the Mummy. It was rather neat to be all together in Orlando. We basically then just traveled a similar route that our crew did on Sunday. We rode Rip Rocket, not realizing that Granddad was wanting to ride with us. He was caught with metal in his pocket, but ended up riding on his own. I think the roller coasters starting getting to him, as finalized with a text later in the week. Magan and Melissa got to take a break while we rode Transformers. And we made our way around to ET, then Simpsons, before we had to split up. Our crew had an appointment to visit Shutterbuttons in Diagon Alley to film our adventure.
Shutterbuttons was a really fun time, as they let us all put on robes, and gave us all (or the ones that did not have one already) a wand, then directed us through a series of scenes. I think the kids thought they were riding horses to Hogwarts in one scene, haha, but all in all it was fun. We all got "Wanted" pictures, but found out late that our package only came with the video and one picture. They always have a catch for more money. We ended up just getting a couple of extra pictures, but not the full $200 extra they wanted. Video was included, so that was the real fun part.
Shutterbuttons Studio - A Junkinbunch Hogwarts Adventure
After Shutterbuttons was the worst Dad breakdown of the whole vacation. We knew that we needed lunch, and we were trying to connect back up with the group for lunch so we could get back in line with them. With large groups, my level of anxiety rises, and I have one wife that says "let's just get something to eat", and the other wife that knowingly wants us to get back together with the group for the rides. So I don't know what to do, and thus began a walking path that I should have drawn on a map because in hindsight, it was utter ridiculousness, but at the time was just a complete mental breakdown. We were hungry, so we walked to the burger place where the rest of the crew was, and then it started raining, and then we were stuck outside the restaurant with rain about to come, so we went back to Diagon Alley to the restaurant there, which had immediately drawn a large line due to the rain, so let's go ride Men in Black, and when we got there, the line just felt long to me altho it never was a long line, so we made our way all the way over to Simpsons land, where we walked right in to a relatively short line, but that is when a guy told me...Hey, my line is over there...we looked and it went out the door back into the rain that had started to come down. So the boys and girls can tell the story later better and confirm, but in these moments, my mental state is not crazy, more of a hospital victim that has left on his own, and in the middle of the woods with big eyes not knowing how to get away from the doctors. For me, it was simple, we just don't eat a meal right now. I turned the bag around and ate a granola bar and asked everyone else if they wanted a snack. Magan having walked a crazy distance, realized I was looney, and was trying to get us to just settle down and eat, but eyes darting side to side trapped inside by the rain, I told her probably in a high pitched Side Show Bob whisper that we were not eating right now. An thus we walked ALL THE WAY back to Harry Potter in a bit of rain to meet up with everyone else who had eaten during my episode.
And then it was gone. We got over it, we all rode Gringotts together, we did some wand action together, and we were one great big family. Magan remembers that after Gringotts, she asked Andrew if he liked it, and with glazed eyes, he looked up at her and said YESSSSS! And loved watching his big eyes on all the big kid rides. And funny watching Luke and Wyatt a little scared in that elevator that takes you down so deep into Gringotts. Sometime during this day, we hit Men in Black twice. The first time Mom had 22K points but hit the bonus at the end and ended up beating Davis by 5K. Later Davis was beaten again, I think by mom again. Mom seemed to take this pretty seriously, altho I think Davis was just playing along with mom.
We did finally get some food eating at the burger place we had originally intended to eat with the family. The kids all laughed at me because I just struggle in all orders. Haha, I am looking forward to the day when I just don't worry about rides, I don't worry about food, I just sit down on a shaded step, listen to the blues brothers periodically, then my family takes me home for the day. But what was the struggle this time...Oh, they just laughed because I ordered two big containers of fruit with our lunch. Which is pretty crazy for me, to order fruit...but oh, that ice cold pineapple is amazing.
We ended up all back together to enjoy the Bourne Stuntacular. I don't know if anyone else liked it, but even a second time through, to me it is one of the neatest shows anywhere. And for the random memories of this day, I have in my notes "Aricubas pine tree", nothing but that...gonna leave that for one of you guys to decipher. Lots of fun hugs with Spongbob and Patrick. Loved seeing Wyatt taking selfies with these guys. And Patrick knocking me and Granny in the head with his ...ummm... star hand. Dad getting churros for the family, and Anabelle calling it early telling mom "I think Dad will get us some churros, I could just see it in his eyes". My picture with Marilyn. The cold wall that for some reason my kids were all laying there face against...like daring COVID to come back, I don't understand this, but it was happening. We finally rode Despicable Me. And Sam's back to the future picture, where Magan forgot that the train was part of the movies too, and just took a picture of him with the Delorean. Then had to get a second picture. And the Today show cocacola is the best in the parks we found.
So while one mental challenge during the mid-day, it was a fun time with the family. And after these long days, you just can't wait to get back to the room and rest. But when we got back to the room, our door would not open, it was locked with the swing bar from the inside. Haha, yes, this apparently can happen. Does it happen often, NOPE, the service man said this hardly ever happens. But on this day, we sat in the hallway waiting for the service man, then we he tried our key (yeah, we hadn't thought of that), went back to the lairs of Cabana Bay to retrieve the rusty old "swing bar unlatch from the inside" tool that had been used once back in 2018. So finally in our room, this day came to an end.
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