Sunday, May 3rd: part 4
Steve’s Clogger burger had him feeling refueled and refreshed: apparently it was served with a side of renewed energy. Either that, or the Coke Zero was working its caffeinated magic. Either way, as we considered what to next as we cleaned away our lunch garbage, he mentioned he would have liked a go at the Sledgehomer game. So that’s where we headed next.
There was a small cluster of men who were just paying for their three whacks at glory, so we waited and watched from behind them. All four of them, unfortunately, missed the mark …. some by 10 points, others by a WIDE margin …. and each ultimately left prizeless (and their wives rather disappointed). For those not familiar with the game, you get three hits on the target with the hammer, as hard as you can, in the effort to reach 100 and ring the bell. Ring it once and you win your choice of prize (which on today’s date was either a stuffed Duff beer can or bottle….they also had large Super Homers on our departure day, but that’s the only time we saw them). There’s a different setting for men, women and children, which the game workers select when you play. The guys, quite obviously, have to hit the target with the hammer much harder than the ladies or kids in order to win.
They were muttering among each other as they walked away that the game was rigged, and impossible to win. Several were rather irritated that they blew $5 on a game that was “quite obviously rigged in Universal’s favour”. As Steve walked up to pay the attendant, they laughed to each other about another poor schmuck who was about to be swindled of his cash. And they stopped to watch (misery loves company, right?).
Deep breath……first swing……and…….96. 100 is the goal. Sooooooooooo close.
Arm flex…….deep breath again……and……whack! 99. Seriously?????
The four other men shared smug smile knowing nods.
Final chance, so there’s no foolin’ around. The hat comes off, the lanyard comes off, the wallet and keys come out of his pocket and I get to hold his pile of accessories. This was serious business: my Steve’s manly ego was on the line
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Big stretch……final breath……primal growl as the hammer swings down and…..DING! 100! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
The men looked dejected. Their wives cheered heartily. And Steve was offered his choice of prize.
Now, the beer can and bottle were pretty big, so we had concerns about whether or not they would fit in our luggage when it was time to return home. We also weren’t really keen on the beer souvenirs when there were some pretty sweet Simpson character stuffies (smaller, but nicer) at the other games. So we nicely explained our potential packing dilemma, and sweetly inquired if we could exchange the big Duff beer prize for a smaller Simpsons character. Imagine our surprise (and my delight) when they readily agreed to the exchange, but on a two-for-one basis instead (since the prizes we wanted were smaller than the item he won). I think we were just Mummy dusted!
We celebrated Steve’s winnings with photos at the Simpson’s magic photo kiosk, just adjacent to the games area in Springfield. Once again, these were all part of the Photoconnect package so all pics were added to our Star Card by the photographer:
Now, as you all probably know, these pics are taken on a green screen, with the background images super-imposed via computer after the fact. What we didn’t consider is that Steve was wearing a green shirt…..which made him “disappear” when the photos were computer altered (nothing but a floating head, legs and arms). Our photographer was super great about it, though, and said she could “colour him back in” as long as we didn’t mind waiting. We didn’t, so we did, and we amused ourselves by watching other husbands and fathers test their hand at the Sledgehomer game while she worked her magic.
After our Simpson’s pics, we rode the Twirl & Hurl again (it was a walk-on, so hey? Why not) and then picked up a plastic bag from the Kwik E Mart in which to store Steve’s winnings so they’d be easier to carry. We offered to buy one (since we weren’t purchasing any other merchandise), but they laughed at the suggestion and handed us one, telling us to enjoy our day and to go win more prizes. Super folks, indeed
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Next stop on the agenda was a trip on the Hogwart’s Express, since we had not done so earlier in the day when we rode Diagon Alley. We made our way over to Kings Cross Station, had our tickets scanned, and entered the queue to board the train.
I think the wait was about 10 minutes, but there was no waiting in the queue and we just kept walking until we reached the platform. Once we were assigned to a line for the next car, I noticed my camera didn’t seem to be acting properly. While the camera appeared to be continuing to take the pictures, the memory card didn’t seem to be retaining any past a certain point. Very concerning. We had no time to fiddle with it, though, as the train appeared promptly and we were loaded into one of the waiting cars.
I would like to say that our first trip on the Hogwart’s Express was amazing, but the six Spanish ladies who shared our car with us really worked hard to ruin the experience. Steve and I were across from each other (the last two seats by the door) while the ladies were all closer to the inside window. I might have been able to get past their freakishly
LOUD dialogue (why they had to screetch every word in rapid-fire pace at each other, I have no idea…..they were all 40’s/50’s, so I doubt they were hard of hearing) but all six of them held their cell phones and ipads in the air, virtually in front of our faces at times, so we could hardly see the scenes playing out on the window as the train trundled its way toward Hogsmeade. Their cameras flashed and flashed in the muted lighting as they took pictures of each other, too….which was a complete annoyance
. It was a relief that the ride was so short. Ah well, we would ride it again before our week was over.
Disembarking at Hogsmeade Station, we found a place to sit and Steve checked out my camera to rule out a simple fix. Unfortunately, he determined it was definitely not taking any pictures, though we couldn’t figure out exactly why. This would be a task for when we return to the villa.
By a stroke of sheer luck, though, I remembered that I had our “little camera” (a small Nikon point and shoot) in the glove box of the car…..I had stuck it in there on arrival day to get it out of my purse (it had been in there on the plane), and hadn’t bothered to take it out. Knowing how important photos are to me, Steve suggested we stroll out to the parking garage to switch cameras before touring any further (like we needed any more walking……our legs were already starting to feel the burn). Bless that man and his sweet heart. There’s a reason why I love him so
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So, out of IOA we went, to the garage, swapped out cameras, back through bag check, and back into City Walk. As we crossed the bridge to Universal Studios, we mused at how there was almost no one by the big rotating Universal globe and the park entrance (as opposed to the hordes around the, at park opening, capturing the obligatory photographs) so we opted to seize the opportunity and capture some pics for ourselves.
Finally back inside the park, I wanted to be sure Steve got to do something just for him in appreciation for him being so agreeable about the marathon walk to and from the car just to facilitate the camera switcheroo. I knew that Rip Ride Rocket was high on his must-do list, as we missed it in 2012 because it was closed due to wind. Being the coaster lover he is, that disappointment had haunted him for the past three years. True to his nature, it took a little encouraging (he felt bad at leaving me alone…I assured him I’d be just fine) but his coaster excitement eventually overtook his wifely devotion and he headed off in the direction of the queue. It wasn’t quite 4 pm yet (so our AP Express access wasn’t allowed just yet) but the standby time was only 10 or 15 minutes so it wasn’t really needed anyway. I told him I would be happily spending his coaster time checking out the Despicable Me gift shop, so to take his time and I’d meet up with him after he was done.
The balance of our park day is coming up next.
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That bites! 
I hope you have better luck on the next visit!
. That would seriously bum me out!
And I replied, why yes I am.....it will be of interest to at least someone on the boards (cause it was noteworthy to me). 
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