So, first off, it pays to have connections. Kevin, over at the Buccaneers, was able to score us some free tickets to Universal! It was great because they also covered parking, valet style! Before I go into the rides, let me talk about the park a little. I love Universal Studios- for starters, before you even enter the park, there is a whole area you can spend the day wandering around a really pretty lake, where they have fireworks at night: CityWalk. There is a massive movie theatre, tons of eateries (including a BubbaGump Shrimp Co.) and some of course the massive, rotating Universal globe. 
When you walk up to Universal Studios, there are characters at the gates- we saw Dora standing out there, posing for pics. The 'backlot' and 'set' look for Universal is still pretty awesome- there are a ton of photo ops just walking around. Be prepared to spend money if you want anything to eat/drink, but know that in that part of Orlando, there are a TON of fast food places. Kevin and I stopped at Chik-Fil-A before our park adventure, and it was amazing.
Ok, so we're in the park now and the first stop was the Lucille Ball tribute! It should really be the Lucy/Desi tribute, because they were together since the radio program! He is in a lot of stuff, but it's important to know that you really needed both of them, to love either of them. The love they had for each other was so evident- the annoying qualities that Lucy overtook in her show were only made endearing by her loving husband, Ricky, after all! So magical. Anyway, after that we went to the Horror Make-Up Show! Honestly, I think Universal needs a wake-up call. The host and help were annoying and the material was dated. However, I enjoyed the history of monster make-up in the movies and the AC was a great break from the scorching sun.
Next, we headed to an oldie, but a goodie: ET. The wait was minimal, 10 minutes- and it is always awesome to hear ET say your name at the end. Unless, of course, you have a name that ISN'T in their system (ahem). That's why I pick a different name! This way, when I wait for my name, I don't have to cry inside while mouths while nothing comes out of his mouth. I chose 'Cheyenne,' which sort of upsets me more...how much more common is Cheyenne than Veronique!?
After that, we wandered over to the new Simpsons ride! It was fantastic. The wait was a bit longer, about 30 minutes- but well worth it for me. However, I did get a bit queasy on the thing and the 3-d was phenomenal but headache inducing for me. All in all, though, it's an instant classic and I would go on it again! It was an annoying wait, though, because most of the line-waiting is outside- which is hell in Florida. Good thing Kevin and I got sodas before jumping in line!
Next, we walked around a bit and decided to pass on Jaws. Why, you ask? Simple- that ride has so much fire-in-water, it's so effing hot. I swear half of my eyebrows get singed every time I'm on the thing. Also, I know this is weird, but the Jaws animatronix thing that comes out of the water actually scares me and has been known to give me nightmares. I stay away.
At this point we were in need of some cold- so we went to the Twister ride! You know, it's a great ride and the behind-the-scenes they show from the movie is fantastic. Plus, who doesn't love Helen Hunt or Bill Paxton (when you can remember he's not Bill Pullman). The wind is soo refreshing, but don't stand in the last row because that's where the rain pipes are connected and I had a constant dripping that felt good at the time- but later smelled real nasty when it dried. The flying cow-on-a-string still gets me, too!
After that, we headed to Shrek 4-D<--- LOVE IT. I can't even get into details other than the story is great, the animation is awesome, and the fact that the seats move makes me clap.
On our way out, we swung by Terminator to see if there was another show- and there was. It is still awesome, and the live actors were actually pretty good. It's kinda weird, though, seeing footage of Arnold Schwartzenegger and knowing he's a governor..!
