Disney vs Marvel

Jim and Disney just didn't really mix.

We went down to Florida a few years ago to do Disney and ended up at the Universal studios theme park. Much more fun for us. Who would have thought, I mean everyone talks about Disney. Well, some of that trip to Florida I posted awhile ago under "beaches".

Our visit to Disney was with our friends and their son and it was a great week and even a great day, but just one day at Disney was all I needed there. We met Jim's brother Benny later that week and did the Universal park and again, it was one day and it satisfied us.

Universal had this ride that shoots you swirls you up and then drops you. I am not a good person for heights so I bowed out of that one, but Jim and Ben had a blast. Universal has the Marvel comics licensing so Jim was just enjoying himself. Talking to his favorite comic characters come to life rather than Mickey Mouse come to life was much more fun for him. I mean he got to shake hands with the Flash. I got to meet Doctor Doom.

The Back to the Future ride was still going and that was cool - the lobby much more so then the ride just because of the details on the walls. The Blues Brothers performance was...well...okay, but I have heard better from the Jake and Elwood that I know. (hi jake! hi elwood!). I remember just walking around the park with Jim and smiling, laughing and having a good time. Relaxed is what you call it. No pressure to get anywhere, do anything other than what we wanted and enjoy each other. That was what our vacations in Florida were all about. Relaxing. I must try and dig up the photo of Jim, Benny, myself and my niece on the log drop ride. You know the one that takes you thru a lot of water and then plunges you over the edge and you plummet and scream and laugh and get a little wet. The photo is a classic shot of four different reactions to this ride. Jim is laughing with his hands up, Benny is laughing and you see his hat flying off in mid air, I am hiding my face and holding my hat and my niece has these big eyes.

One day we went to cocoa beach, one had a morning at the local flea markets and an afternoon by the pool. We both got sunburned with my racerback suit making a bit X on my back. We went thru a time share sales pitch just to get some breakfast. We had alligator one night for dinner.

At some point in the week half the doorknob fell out of the door of our room - somehow locking me inside. The picture here of our friends son, Buster age 3 or 4, sitting on a chair outside my room playing the harmonica and singing the 'blues' for me. It looked like a scene from Alcatraz. We were sharing their timeshare apt in Orlando with them and it was a nice point of departure for other places we went. It was after the visit to Orlando that we went to see his brother a bit north and they went out and got Jim his Superman S tattoo. I also may be mixing the events of the two years together, but Florida is a blur sometimes.

Being Dalmatian owners we did do some searching out of 101 Dalmatian things on the Disney lot. I got some Dalmatian ears instead of Mouseketeer hat. But the most fun was the hotel area that was designed with 101 in mind. Paws and bones outlined along the railings of the stairs, characters from the movie sprinkled throughout, and best of all a large model of the Dals. Below is a photo taken in the 'play area'. The tv was set up so you could act things out and entertain both your children and the dog. Or maybe so the kids could act things out for the dog. Well, Jim being Jim, he sure had fun! During this shot he is using some weird Pee Wee Herman voice trying to do Cruella DeVille lines. He was a strange guy sometimes. But we laughed and that was what was really important.