The cRaZy World of the Aleman's: March 2011

Friday, March 4th we went to Islands of Adventure! Mario and I were SOOO excited to finally see The Harry Potter section that had opened last year. In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday we started our day in Seuss Landing! Alejandro went on his first ride, The Cat in the Hat! and loved every minute of it and I couldn't stop taking pictures. Well I actually had to stop since they made an announcement over the loud speaker to stop!! (oops!) For some rides Alex was too small so we waited for Gaby and Mario... No worries! After enjoying all of Seuss Landing we headed to......HARRY POTTER!!!! The section itself is breathtaking! The amount of detail there is in this one section is just a-freaking-mazing! We spent as much time here remembering all the things from the movies! The town where Harry buys his owl, his wand and the candy store, the replica of Hogsworth Express again, breathtaking! Gaby rode the Hagrid ride with Mario and boy is she going to love roller coaster or anything that involves adrenaline! And then ladies and gents.....we made the line to ride the Potter Adventure!! Gaby was too short to ride this...so Mario and I did the child swap (again best invention EVER!) we were in line for our good 45 minutes to an hour with both kids! They did great in the line.... they jumped, they climbed, they ate snacks, Gaby complained because she couldn't ride the ride. So what I say to her..... "That's because you don't eat enough vegetables!!!" The cool thing about making the line is while your in the actual line you get to see different parts of the movie! For the most part of the line we were in the Green House, but once you got inside the actual castle the picture crazy began! Of course the picture I posted didn't do justice to the actual details and little nick knacks you found along the way- but you get the idea of why Potter fans or just anyone who has heard about the Harry franchise go a little..... Coo coo! So here comes the part I have to confess.... I rode the ride first while Mario was in the child swap room. Well I got scared shitless (I know its all fake, but everything looks so real and so clear I got scared). I actually rode the ride covering my eyes! I know, I know...call me wuss but I felt so bad and stupid! I actually sighed relief when the ride was actually over and the characters where clapping for me "completing" the mission! HAHA- only if they knew.... Well I told Mario right away when we switched places.... It was then his turn to ride the ride and of course he loved every minute of it- all the while I was still hanging my head in shame..... Let's move on shall we??? Yes. Well before we said goodbye to the most fabulous part of the whole park we had to enjoy a cup of "Butter Beer"... now for those who haven't tried is I want to say it's a mixture of: butterscotch, coke and sprite, topped with a very delish foam (which the kids and I devoured). Another confession....I wasn't a fan of the actual beer (only the foam) I know I know... all the Harry Potter fans are throwing rocks at me- but I have to be honest! Moving along.... we had lunch in what looked like a scene from Aladdin where Jasmine and Aladdin meet for the first time in the market! It was really yummy, budget friendly and satisfying. We strolled to Jurassic Park and Gaby and I rode on Pteranodon Flyers. This ride had my name written all over it. You sit down, you relax and take in the cool breeze. Gaby then saw another water ride (Jurassic Park River Adventure) and of course she and Mario wasted no time to get in line! Alex and I stayed behind on the DRY land! There was no way in hell I was going to get wet with the breeze going on- nope, not me, no way! Mario then realized that the ride they were on was the one where T-Rex comes out of the ceiling and you then DROP- God knows how steep the drop is. My poor bebe was crying- but she LOVED it after the initial shock! We wasted no time and entered...TOON LAGOON! Such a cute little area this is. There are so many little places to take pictures (but my camera was running out of battery and I was NOT going to pay $30 for 20 minutes for my camera to charge!) So what does this mom do... send Mario and Gaby on yet ANOTHER water ride...well actually 2 more for the day! Dudley Do-Rights; Ripsaw Falls; Popeye & Bluto's Bilge- Rat Barges I was truly impressed by how brave Gaby is and her brother is not far behind! They look at all these rides and have no terror. Meanwhile, I'm left behind reciting prayers that nothing happens during the ride and everything goes well. The best part of this section- Gaby and I taking a picture with none other than Popeye and Olive Oil!! Gaby was really nice by keeping her "who are they, mom??" questions until AFTER we took the picture! Ahhh cartoons aren't what they use to be ladies and gents..... Finally, we entered into what I call a little boys dream come true...without the porno ;) MARVEL SUPERHERO ISLAND. We explored, we watched and we rode one ride... Spider-man. This one Gaby and I rode first, did the child swap (Alex was sleeping) and Gaby and I hated it. Yes, yes.....me no likey. I have to say I was a little scared someone would come on either my side or Gaby's and scare the shit out of us. Which didn't happen but I tried my best to not act scared.... The amazing thing about these rides is how they trick your brain! You really think Spider-man is saving you with his web- but in reality it's just the mechanics of the ride. We finally finished Islands of Adventure....... NOPE- no we didn't. I felt soooo stupid leaving the park and riding the Harry Potter ride with my eyes closed. So I told Mario to go back before the park closes. So we all ran to the Harry Potter area and guess what..... YUP- I rode the ride again...but this time..... with my eyes OPEN! Was I scared....YUP... Did I hate that Mario wasn't next to me....YUP! I'm so pathetic that I had to keep on telling myself "It's only a ride, Gaby rode the T-Rex ride and she's 6, so you have to be brave!" YUP... that was me the entire ride. I'm such a fool I know... but hey give me credit. I rode it again! Right???? And of course.... PICTURES!!!!