A half-day off for my boys last Friday meant we could splash out with a day at USJ. It just so happened that our nano-vacation coincided with my birthday, so that was even better. We stopped in at Guest Services once we got to the park to pick up a Happy Birthday sticker. It was huge! But having Snoopy on my shoulder all afternoon meant that I got told "Happy Birthday!" more times than in the entire past decade. A little embarrassing, yes. But very cool... especially since I didn't have to actually report my age.
We arrived without having eaten lunch, so once I got that sticker (did I mention that it was huge?) we made a beeline to Mel's Drive-In. The cheeseburgers are pretty massive, so my two sons (ages 4 and 7) split one, and it was still enough to charge them up for an active afternoon. My favorite was the onion rings--only managed to fend off my excited children by saying, "but it's my birthday!" A little guilt won't hurt 'em, right?
Anyway, once we were fueled up and had a potty stop (yay for family-friendly restrooms with seat adapters for child-sized bottoms!), we headed right over to the Land of Oz. There were quite a few people lining up at rides like Jaws and Jurassic Park, but the wait for the Magical Oz-Go-Round was less than 10 minutes. Classic carousels are great fun for little ones, and we had our choice of magical frogs, ostriches, elephants, and more. Smaller son insisted on the safe option of the non-moving, Tin Man-decorated bench, so our ride was very... stately. Still, immediately post-cheeseburger, the Oz-Go-Round was just right.
On the way to find a good place to watch the Parade de Carnival, the boys got to go trick-or-treating. They found three different park staff members holding baskets full of candy, and discovered that by duly saying "trick or treat!" they could score a piece of candy each. Now to get them to remember to say "thank you" once they do...! The trick-or-treating should be on at least till Halloween, though, so I imagine they'll get another chance.
The parade was a definite highlight of our afternoon. There were lots of colorful costumes, and it was fun to try to catch the mardi gras bead necklaces the New Orleans float people were tossing out. No luck this time, but just wait till our next visit!
After the parade we enjoyed a good, long play session in the Snoopy's Sound Stage Adventure play area. This has been a favorite with both boys since they were a lot smaller, and they love to sort of "check in" with familiar attractions. We made a new discovery in the shop just off the play area, too--there are instant picture booths for making stickers! We couldn't resist, and now have our very own USJ Halloween-themed self-adhesive stickers. Very cool...
We took a break outside on a bench overlooking the big lake in the middle, enjoying soft drinks and some popcorn. Even though the Boardwalk Snacks restaurant was closed, we were able to relax on the picnic tables just outside--an unexpectedly quiet place on what was a relatively crowded afternoon.
Recharged enough for a final round of play, we headed over to the Bert & Ernie Prop Shop Game Place to play some carnival-style ball games. We did end up with some "thanks-for-playing" tin Sesame Street character badges (which both boys were delighted with, immediately pinning them on their t-shirts). But to our amazement, one of those silly balls actually stopped where it was supposed to--and we went home with a brand new Elmo toy!
Before heading home we took a little time to peruse the array of Spiderman products in the Amazing Spider-Man Store--and the "amazing" probably refers to how many different kinds of key chains they carry. Truly. Some of our favorites were the flattened snow-globe with a Spider-Man mask inside (yes, really), a Spider-Man head that opens up to release a tiny, dangling Spider-Man body, and a clear Lucite cube with a Spider-Man head inside. I never realized how iconic the Spider-Man image is. Now I do.
That was pretty much all we had energy for this go-round. But we'll be back before too long--for more trick-or-treating, to catch some party beads, to eat ghost-shaped cake, and more...
Till then, Happy Halloween!
