Due to the Nick factor, we will probably seperate after the tour. He will have a lot of pent up energy and he has already been checking out the USH website for stuff he wants to do and see. I will call Darla now and let her know she needs to get the 9th off.

Count Ken and me in for the 9am "hardcore". ;)

We'll have to split off after the tour though, due to a prior commitment for that evening. So, no post-swank for us. :(

We are in for the 9am hard-core as well. I am thinking if I can get at least 1 ride out of the way Nick wont be bugging me as much during the tour. If Darla goes then he will leave me alone, since he has a little crush on her.

Also, does anybody want to carpool? We can fit two other couples in Susan's van comfortably, three other couples with a bit of a squeeze.

All the attractions in the Upper Lot should be open at 9 a.m., except for various performance times for the shows. The Lower Lot, which includes Revenge of the Mummy-The Ride and Jurrassic Park-The Ride, usually opens a little later.

So, the best options for sneaking in a few attractions before 10 a.m.--probably just enough time for two attractions at the most--are probably to catch the very first (continuous) showing of Shrek 4-D or Terminator 2: 3D, and then one ride on Back to the Future... The Ride, or the haunted house-type walkthrough of Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula.

Since we'll have Front of the Line passes for the entire day, there's probably no need to rush around like someone who only has 2.5 hours to spend at a theme park. ;) I plan to be there a little before 9 a.m. as an early bird, too. :D

Awwww....... Thank you!


Here's my thought process at the moment. I think if it wasn't a Sunday, I say let's go to our house, however, it being a Sunday and the Park already closes at 8 pm, it might be easier to stay on property and meet at UCW.

Cafe Tu Tu Tango is a Tapas place that can be fun for groups. You just order a bunch of small plates and gorge until you're done. along those same lines is Shanghai and Mein:

I've been to Tu Tu Tango several times (at The Block) but never tried this place so I'm inclined to say let's go for it! And, the proper vernacular IS used in the description. ;)

Has anyone every been to Shanghiai and Mein? How was it? Anyone not liking Chineese food?

They do not take reservations, sp someone (me) would need to put our name in before the Park closes (I would imagine)..... Matt, do you have any advice on this?

I'm not sure if zapp and I will make it by the 9am hardcore. We've experienced front-o-line passes, and we love that it means not having to rush around while still having ample time to conquer all of Universal.

T23D, for instance, is something that I'm sure the whole group will want to do ... and I'm not sure that I'd necessarily be up for it twice.



Oh, and my dinner preference leans towards Shanghai ... only because I've already done TuTu (and loved it ... so no complaints from me if we end up there).

We can't make the swanky tour, but as we live at the bottom of the hill, we'd love to pop up and share tapas with y'all...what was that ETA for eating again?

Shanghei and Mein is gooooood stuff. And the atmosphere is very trendy.

Kevy - Ken and I would love to hop a ride with, but we need to leave after the tour. Are you staying for post-swank? If so, then we'll just drive ourselves. :)

The formal tour should end by 5:00pm. That leaves us a few hours to stand around in a group and say, "What do you want to do?", "I don't know, what do you want to do" before we head out for dinner....

Lizziebeth: Since you live "at the bottom of the hill" do you have a AP for USH? If so it sounds like some of the group will scoot after the formal tour and we could probably let you hold their VIP passes for a few hours ;)
Otherwise we'll let you know our dinning plans as soon as we know them so you can meet up.

As for the restaurant selection, either place is good for me. As long as we can all sing a nice loud and very off key rendition of "Happy Birthday"... :evil: