Thanks to the attendant of Universal Studios’ Trollercoaster, our ease and enjoyment of the park went up by two notches. After overhearing Evelyn say she didn’t want to sit in the back, she pulled us from the line and placed us right at the front of the coaster for the next ride. Then, when a sudden downpour shut the ride down, she gave us ten free fast passes—and on her break, she personally showed Evelyn around a virtual reality Puss in Boots interactive game.
The thing is, those passes are like gold. For the extra price tag, they’re just not worth it. But for free? And for my parents and us to get on two rides with 80% less wait time? It’s the difference between feet dragging—“Will we ever get there?”—and the clouds parting, a rainbow streaking the sky, and us practically skipping to our seats. The amazement of comparing our stopwatch wait time to the poor souls still in line… It’s something else.
My dad is all about taking advantage of early park access. Knocking on my brother’s hotel room door, he goes, “So we’ll do like Magic Kingdom—up by 7…” while Paula and I mouth “NO!” behind him and I circle my finger around my ear like he’s a crazy person. My brother listened, nodding, one eye on me with a smirk.
It’ll be park day four, and I’m saturated—maybe overly so.
We’re naturally sleeping in later now, so a 7 a.m. wake-up feels two hours too early. He was open to my suggestion of making it a later morning, though.
It’s dark out—8:15 p.m.—and I have the door latched but propped open just an inch so no one entering will need a key. I’m waiting for Dave and Evelyn to come back from the pool. I even found Kung Fu Panda for us to watch, but as time ticks by, we might not make it. Bedtime keeps creeping earlier and earlier, our bodies worn out from trekking across these massive parks.
I’m going to get cozy and ready for bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Love, Jaclynn
Going On 40 