10 Weeks 10 Dates #5: Road Trip to Geekdom

This time around, Steve and I decided to combine a few of our true loves - besides each other, of course - and make a long weekend out of it! Because we love to travel. We love visiting Orlando in particular, as we have friends there. And above all, we love to be geeks together.

Now, a road trip to Orlando is for us quite a road trip - about eight hours, in fact. Which means that we have to stock up on the essentials - Starbucks Double Shot Energy Drinks, bottled waters, iPods, cell phone chargers for the car, and of course TomTom. We had to work half-days and planned on leaving around 1 PM - which somehow actually happened! This meant that we made it to Orlando around 9:15 that night, but not without quite a few adventures on the road...

My first issue with road trips is this: Steve and I are the worst ever at choosing exits. Meaning, when we stop, we want it to be food-gas-bathroom-GO! We try to minimize our loitering, which of course allows us to reach our destination in a more timely manner.

Unfortunately, nine times out of ten we have bad luck and choose those exits where the restaurants and gas stations are a mile or more out of the way. Of course this happened on our first stop of the road trip and threw everything off...even though we hit little traffic and the only other time we stopped, there was a gas station right off the highway, this very first mishap got under our skin just enough.

Just enough to put us in one of those completely sarcastic moods that in fact made the rest of our time on the road more fun. We all know there are plenty of terrible drivers out there, not to mention the people who insist on washing their windshields when going 80 miles per hour on the highway, and our very favorites (note sarcasm): people who haul things.

I'm talking about RVs hauling cars, cars and trucks hauling trailers, eighteen wheelers hauling giant unidentifiable machines...I could go on and on. It doesn't sound as fun in writing, but trust me - Steve and I had literally hours of fun spotting and discussing all those people hauling things. Our personal favorite was someone in a small truck hauling a flat-bed trailer that had a wheelbarrow on it. A truck hauling a trailer hauling a wheelbarrow that is normally used to haul other things? To our travel-addled brains, it was hilarious.

After so long on the road, when we arrived in Orlando we wanted two things - food, and a drink. We had put off dinner in order to eat at a restaurant you can't find in South Carolina - Bahama Breeze. By the time we ate our Roasted Cuban Bread, Lobster & Shrimp Quesadilla, and Oak Grilled Chicken Sandwich (and downed a couple of Mojitos) we were ready for bed. Especially as we had an early morning the next day, to experience the first day of what we had dubbed our "Geekend".

Early morning it was, as we were up at 7 AM in order to arrive at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure by 9 AM. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had opened a couple months before, and we were ready to immerse ourselves in it.

To be completely honest, I went in with questionable expectations. One day, I would think "Universal had to have gotten this right, it's going to be amazing!" The next day, my mind would veer off along the track of "It's Universal, not Disney...I shouldn't expect too much or I'll end up disappointed".

And in the end? Well, in the end our opinions were somewhere between those two trains of thought.

First, I'm not sure if Universal didn't expect the turnout they've gotten for their Harry Potter themed area at IOA, or if they just really are that daft about crowd control and the like. Because when you enter the park, despite the fact that the quickest way to WWoHP is to walk through Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent, they direct you to the left–through Marvel Island, Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park. Okay, I guess that they're probably trying to distract you along the way, maybe hoping to slow up the crowds who only go to IOA to see WWoHP. But still...no bueno.

Thankfully, after a long unnecessary walk, you are greeted with what are at first some amazing sights of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Despite the crowds, we couldn't help but feel completely taken in by the scenery – and by the butterbeer! First things first, and all that.

We continued on to the new attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is located inside "Hogwarts"...and this is where we first began to notice the telltale signs that we were in Universal, not Disney (a place that Steve and I frequent and have special memories of). From afar, everything looked great–but once you were in line, and especially in the extended queue that snakes through the "Herbology greenhouse", you could see that the castle was a mere facade and right behind it was a giant white building that obviously didn't fit in with the theme at all. The thing was, they could have given that building a paint job, made Hogwart's walls a little higher, etc...and hidden that completely misplaced white building. Of course I understand that this is where the ride is housed, but that's not my point.

And yes, we waited a long time for that ride–nearly two hours, actually. Was it worth it? I think so. I wouldn't have wanted to wait longer than that, or wait that long had I been on it recently, but the attraction itself is exceptional. Sort of like a really intense version of Soarin' at EPCOT.

Now, the other issue I take with Universal is the fact that they force you to store your belongings/bags in lockers before you go on most rides–including this one. It's nice to not worry about losing anything, sure, but I would have liked to have my camera with me in the queue. And for the Forbidden Journey ride in particular, we waited about 20-30 minutes just to put our bags in a locker! There really have to be better ways to accomplish this if they are going to insist that you stow your belongings, and excuse us for being Disney snobs, but Disney would have done it right.

Immediately after the Forbidden Journey, it was time for Dueling Drag–oops, excuse me, I mean "Dragon Challenge".

(For those of you who don't know, when they built WWoHP, they basically just renamed the coaster that was already there and threw a few Harry Potter-esque things in the queue to make it fit into the theme. Smart, and surely a money saver, but again...Disney would have re-vamped it much better.)

Ugh, I realize that I'm whining a lot about how much better Disney would have done things. Sorry. It's just that...well, it's the truth, and Steve and I spent a lot of the day discussing "the things Disney would have done better". However–Universal did get a lot right with WWoHP. For instance:

• The Three Broomsticks. Great theming, amazing food. We all ate different things (there were eight of us there) and we all agreed that it was the best quick service theme park food we'd ever had.


• Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice. They's got them, and them's awesome. (Although we did the frozen butterbeer and I've heard not-so-great things about the regular butterbeer)


• The Forbidden Journey ride, as previously mentioned, and at least the inside part of the queue for it.


• The stores (their theming and products), especially Honeyduke's (although I have to be honest about having some complaints here too, and I'll get into that in a moment)


• The general look of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, barring the fact that you can see a bit too much of the "outside world" for my taste

Our complaints about the stores–well, this first bit is a complaint we hated to make, honestly. Basically, the stores are built to scale. They are small. And crowded. And full of stuff. And we loved all of these things, because admittedly...that's the way it should be. Unfortunately, they simply aren't built to handle the crowds of us muggles who visit WWoHP. You can barely move once you get inside, and on a regular basis there are waits of anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to get in at all–longer for Ollivander's!

Speaking of Ollivander's...what can I say? You can wait in a much shorter line to just get into the store. Or you can not have any idea that there even is a much shorter line hidden in the back, and wait upwards of an hour (surely it's shorter sometimes, but not for most of the time we were there and that's how long we waited–an hour) to view the interactive experience. Which is really cool, mainly because in doing so you actually get to see the area of the shop that looks exactly as Ollivander's did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. But parents be warned! They may choose your child, and a wand will choose him or her, and I wouldn't want to be on the parental end of that tale. Because you will either be spending $30 on a wand, or dealing with your child pitching a fit. I feel compelled to mention that at Disney, when they choose children to participate in Jedi Academy, those children get to keep the Jedi Academy robes that they wear. For free. Hint hint, Universal.

All in all, it was a great experience. I'm glad we went; maybe we'll even go back again in a couple of years. I certainly suggest a visit to all big Harry Potter fans such as ourselves. And if you go expecting not perfection, but "just enough"...you won't be disappointed.

Day one of our "Geekend" down, we proceeded to day two, which involved something slightly less geeky - a bunch of friends visiting EPCOT, one of the Disney parks, and experiencing what we call Drinking Around the World. You see, some people go to Disney for the rides; some for the parades, some for the fireworks, some for the shows. But we go to Drink Around the World. This means you go to the World Showcase in Epcot and have one drink in each of the eleven pavilions. Although many have different "rules", we always start with Margaritas in Mexico and work our way around to Canada. It's basically a beer tasting, wine tasting, liquor tasting, and cultural experience combined, all during one afternoon - and it's a blast. On top of that, we ended the day at a dueling piano bar and danced half the night away.

Not geeky enough for you? Well...the fact that we shared our day of Drinking Around the World with about ten of our geekiest friends (and we say that with all of the love in our hearts, honestly), and also carried around a mask that we decorated in each country, plus referred to ourselves as "Team Wolfpack" a la The Hangover all day long...geeky enough for you yet?

Surprisingly, Steve and I were up and at 'em for our last full day in Orlando. We met up with a close friend and visited the final day of Star Wars Celebration V - the culmination of our Geekend. It was a long afternoon of costumed geeks, Star Wars memorabilia, and general awe at the scope of the Star Wars galaxy. To be completely honest, it was one of the best days we have ever had together. Although Steve merely donned a Boba Fett t-shirt, I dressed as Juno Eclipse (of the Xbox game Force Unleashed fame). She was the only blonde canonized Star Wars character I could find! Needless to say, I lost count of how many people asked to take pictures with or of me...Steve and I decided that in the future, either both of us should dress up, or neither of us should. Thankfully, the only time it got a bit out of hand was in the Hoth Ice Bar (yes, you read that right) when some random (I'm guessing drunk?) guy approached us, ignored Steve entirely, and started bragging about the quality of his Han Solo costume. Which he wasn't even wearing. Go figure.

Our day at Celebration was filled with great picture opportunities (come on, who doesn't want a picture taken with the Hoth snow monster?), sightings of random Star Wars actors (including Mon Mothma, a guy who played one of the Ewoks, and a former Imperial officer who told me to take my pistol out of my mouth as I mimed shooting myself upon viewing the twenty-somethingth Slave Leia of the day), and an unofficial surprise meet-and-greet with Steve Sansweet. Who is, by the way, a professional, paid Star Wars fan, employed by Lucas himself. He complimented me on my costume, teased Steve for not wearing one, and gave me a free vintage photograph from Empire Strikes Back.

All in all, it was, as I said, one hell of a Star Wars day! We were only sad that we missed some of the more elite opportunities, such as viewing never-before-seen scenes cut from the original Star Wars movies and listening to Jon Stewart and George Lucas banter.

Obviously I'm not saying that a road trip that ends in three days of geeking-out is right for everyone. But if you like wine, how about a road trip to a few local vineyards? Or if you like history and live in the right area(s), a road trip to local museums and former battle sites? Beaches? The west coast of Florida alone has at least three of the top ten beaches in the US! We have also had friends who spend a week or more following their favorite bands up and down the east coast.

The thing is, there are many different types of road trips. For us, an eight-hour drive to Orlando for a weekend of Harry Potter, piano bars, and Star Wars completely invigorated our relationship, and even if you're not [yet] comfortable spending that long in the car with your significant other, the ability to drive together for an extended amount of time is certainly one of those random things that one should always know is or is not possible.

As early dates go, a "short" road trip - three hours or less for two or three nights - is absolutely a good idea. However, a specific or "themed" road trip such as the one Steve and I did - with an eight-hour drive each way - is probably not best for a new couple. Thankfully, as long-standing couples go, it is a good idea. Nine out of ten for our Road Trip to Geekdom, with the hopes that at some point in the future, we will be able to experience something similar!

About the Authors
Nearly a decade after being introduced, Steve and Tara finally fell into a relationship together in September 2008. After braving three months of the dreaded LDR (that's Long Distance Relationship), Tara moved to Connecticut for work and they commenced living together. In October 2009, Tara was forced to re-locate again, this time to South Carolina. She dragged Steve with her and that's when they started their blog, as they became Connecticut Yankees in South Carolina. They divide their time between the mundane workaday world (Steve as an engineer, Tara in finance), exciting vacations, relaxing at home with their two dogs and four cats, and exploring their [now] beloved city of Greenville.