Finally, after more than 2 years, I'm back!
Back at Universal Orlando Theme Parks with a 2-Park Power Pass.
Unlimited visits for a full year to either park, barring some blackout dates.
My first pass was purchased in spring of 1999. Within 6 months, my friends and I visited the parks well over a dozen times. That year and the next was the "Era of the Theme Park" for Ric, Jay, occassionally Steve and Roger, and me.
We all worked together at DM and the office was, convieniently, only about half a mile away from Universal. It was mostly Jay and I who ventured together to Disney and Sea World as well. During those years I had annual or seasonal passes to all three park clusters (Universal, Disney and the Anhueser-Busch parks Sea World and, over in not-to-far (with a car) Tampa, Busch Gardens).
By fall of 2000, Jay and I were calling ourselves by our self-created character names (Capt'n Blowtox and Monkey Boy) so as to more "thematically" fit into the atmosphere of the parks. I think it just indicates how drunk we were most of the time.
Oh, those Glory Years were fun. But they didn't last forever.
Jay was fired from DM in the spring of 2000 and his subsequent financial collapse put a strain on "keeping up" with my spending and I was eventually picking up the tab for him too. But at an average of $80 a visit each (mind you, we had passes and his was still good 'till 2001 so we got in "free"...the $80 each went for food and drink...mostly drink!) we eventually gave up the park-hopping for much cheaper (and efficient, if getting fucked up was your goal, and then, mostly, it was) bar-hopping. By the new year 2001, he couldn't even afford that and we just stopped going out altogether. Also, he started taking up with, the (I guess) cheaper alternative, pot. He and his buddy Jason were busily constructing ever-more elaborate bongs and became Total Stoners. Then Jay moved to New Orleans. Well, actually I drove him and his truckload of crap including the semi-feral cat Sylvester to New Orleans...but that is another post ;)
I left DM in summer of 2000 and had some bad blood, in a way, between Roger and his sidekick Steve, so, needless to say we didn't hangout at the parks together anymore. I kept visiting with Jay and Ric, but after Ric got pissed about Jay becoming homeless and crashing at our place at Rosewood, and Jay subsequently shutting out Ric because of his attitude (what else is new), the three of us never went together to the parks again. I either went with Jay or Ric...kind of like when you get through the castle for Dueling Dragons and you must "Choose Your Fate...Fire or Ice?"
Ric met Gary in the fall of 2000 and from then on if he was apt to go to a park on his day off it was with Gary. Especially early in their relationship, they wanted to go by themselves as a date. By summer 2001, we all three, Ric, Gary and I would go together regularly, but it wasn't the same. Gary was a boyfriend. Plus, he had to mooch for everything. Thirdly, like all Ric and Gary interactions, it was rarely smooth and carefree like it was when your just hangin' with your buds...they never mutually respected each other so whether we actually stayed late enough for the nightly pyrotechnic shows, there were always "fireworks", ie. conflicts, whenever we went out together.
Yeah, the Glory Days of the Theme Parks Era were pretty much over by mid 2001. We eventually allowed our annual passes to lapse and eventually neglected to renew them. Like a precurser to my late 2002 financial collapse, I began losing my passes one by one...Disney: offers the most parks (4), but astronomically expensive (around $250 back then, close to $300 now). Universal, and eventually the cheaper but much more limited Sea World/Busch Gardens...you had to pick just one park...that sucked!
Which brings me to this past Friday. I played hooky from work (again) and decided it was high time I got the seasonal pass. Seasonal passes here in Orlando are really annual passes with just a few blackout dates. Unlike most theme parks around the country, the weather and the non-stop influx of tourists, keep the parks open year round. Six Flags parks, beachside landmark amusement parks like Coney Island, and mega-coaster meccas like Cedar Point all have their lure, but they aren't open Every Day of the Year, baby! Plus, they are a full 12 months from date of purchase, so I'm good now 'till mid August 2006.
It was great. Though alone, I did my usual conversation strike-ups, especially with foriegn tourists, to enhance my "vacation" experience. Jay and I used to meet people all the time this way. It's fun and oh-so-weirdly uncomplicated striking up conversations with total strangers while you're in line for a ride, getting to know about them and their lives and you sharing stuff about yourself, building a little temporary friendship, riding the ride and then parting to go separate ways to other attractions in the park. I especially love meeting "first-timers" for a particular ride and watching their expression, especially if they are timid of rollercoasters. It reminds me of when in those Glory Days of Yore, I too was a "first-timer".
Needless to say I can't wait to get my mileage outta this $130 pass. Without a car it's a bit tricky, but it can be done. I will have fun this year. Like the TV ads that ran recently for Universal Theme Parks, I feel like my jobs and need to keep working my "nose to the grindstone" (there's another one of those really odd, confusing and disturbing sayings) over the past 2 years are conspiring to keep me away from my "vacation".
Well, dammit! I tore up roots from my comfy little life with all the built-in support systems in Rhode Island years ago in order to live the Good Life in "Vacationland USA". I planned too long and too hard for this life.
So like the archway at IOA says in the photo above...
...The Adventure Lives On...