The Simpsons Ride, not officially open, held a 'soft open' while we were at the park and, without a wait, we were able to get on the ride, not once, but twice!

Basically, the jist of the ride is that The Simpsons are visiting Krustyland (a low-budget theme park created by Krusty the Clown) and you are right there alongside Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie as you enter through the carnival-like midway of Krustyland where you'll get a taste of what Springfield's Krustiest theme park has to offer: inept fortune tellers, uninspired musical revues, rides such as "The Tooth Chipper" roller coaster, and more.

Once you board your vehicle you're in for one surprise after another as you embark on a wild, over-the-top ride through the park ... flying, floating, and more or less crashing your way through Krustyland's kiddie attractions, stunt shows, and thrill rides.

The ride features all new animation starring the voices of the show's original cast, projected onto a towering IMAX screen. You are in your own car and while it's a simulated ride, it's nothing like you've been on before. The ride vehicles tilt, pitch, dip and twist in synch with the action on the film, giving you the illusion of motion, speed and flight.

The bad part, once officially open, I imagine long, long lines. They even incorporate that into the ride ... once inside you're eventually greeted by Krusty (on TV), who teases that your wait is almost over -- just 45 minutes to go, he kids. Luckily, by then, you're actually in the home stretch and yes, even if the lines are long, it's worth the wait. The entire family will enjoy this ride.

Tip: To say it's fast-paced is an understatement. There's a lot to absorb in one sitting (that's why I did it twice). Was that bartender Moe back there? Did I just smell baby powder? Did we just get sprayed with water? Expect to make multiple rides and to wait in a long -- but entertaining (depending on your sense of humor) -- line. Get to the park early and head to the Simpson's Ride first, most people will head in the opposite direction by following the map.
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Looking for a fabulous feast? You can find it right inside Universal. I did. No kidding.

Two theme parks, three hotels and the restaurant-packed Universal CityWalk complex offer dining choices aplenty to Universal fans. In the parks, I was surprised to find that every ingredient is made from scratch. Executive Chef Steve Jayson would rather his team cut and steam fresh green beans than buy them frozen, for example, and he never brings frozen fish onto the premises. The result? Satisfying meals at all price levels.

Mythos (which I discovered too late) located within the Islands of Adventure theme park, is the most magical of Universal's theme park eateries. The dining room resembles an underwater Greek grotto, but I'm told that you won't notice once you begin sampling Chef Mark Wachowiak's fabulous fare. At Universal Studios Florida, plan your day around lunch at Lombasrd's Seafood Grille.

For easier access to excellent food, book a table at Emeril's Orlando, a CityWalk white-tablecloth oasis with Creole-inspired creations by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. Lagasse also serves sensational Polynesian-inspired meals at Emeril's Tchoup Chop (pronounced Chop-Chop), where we ate (with kids) in the Royal Pacific Resort. We had the Seared Sea Scallops on Double Fried Plantains with Garlic-Lime Butter Sauce and Jicama Salad. Need I say more! If you have a longing for risotto and pasta, peruse the menu at Portofino Bay Hotel's Bice Risorante. And when nothing but prime steak or lobster will do, head to the Hard Rock Hotel, where an Orlando offshoot of our favorite restaurant, The Palm, serves classics in a masculine dining room. This time (adults only) we had a five pound lobster, caesar salad, filet mignon and creamed spinach! It was so good that before we left, our friends became members!

After The Palm, we rode home in a rickshaw, where our driver told us that Tommy Hilfiger was the rider right before us ... we went back to the hotel and Tommy, well, he stopped by Margaritaville!
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Hello from Universal, where you can visit the Incredible Hulk in the morning, spend the afternoon with Dr. Seuss and in the evening have dinner with Emeril Lagasse. Universal may be known around the world for it's theme parks, but for those who crave adventure and scenic vistas, you can find all that here too.

And staying at the Royal Pacific Resort has put us right in the middle of everything. Loews has three of the finest hotels, here in Orlando ... we chose Royal Pacific this time around. The best part is that everything is right outside our door. In the morning we stroll over to Universal Orlando's two exciting theme parks and then spend time at City Walk, the city's number one spot for dining, dancing and kicking back after a long day. Did I mention the pool? It's great ... a little on the crowded side (not an exclusive hotel) but the cabanas saved us? We took two.

Where you start really depends on what you are looking for. Of course, there are the attractions -- more than two dozen -- where you can get up close to animals in the wild, feed alligators, rush down a water slide at breakneck speed, ride roller coasters and state-of-the-art thrill rides that will leave you breathless or simply float in a tube while the world goes by.

Did I leave anything out? You bet I did. But I'll keep posting after I try and find everything worth doing while here.

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