So my head is spinnin’ in Universal Studios Hollywood.
No, not because of the rides… I learned my lesson from when The Hulk got angry with me years ago down in Orlando.
Although I held my breath and onto my breakfast then thanks to guide Natalie’s motion sickness tablets.
And fitted in a spin around Hogwarts in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
This year in Universal Hollywood I’m pacing myself.
Not least because my head is spinnin’ after a night that any of the Hollywood hell raisers would shrink away from.
I blame, er thank, the Minneapolis-St Paul, Travel South USA, Travel Texas and Washington DC Pride delegations for getting me this way.
Now while it is a schoolboy error to turn up like this on match night, haven’t we all been here?
The trick to making the most of your Universal Orlando evening is to follow the Murty Manual.
Water ride
Rehydrate: Don’t be a hero. Yes, the wine, cocktails and beer are flowing like the water rides but water is key.
You don’t have to be a monk, of course, and it would be rude not to order a Duff’s at Moe’s.
But soak it all up with a dirty Krusty Burger and fries.
It’ll bring some colour back to your face and make you more appealing when you meet up with Marilyn.
What a character
Meet the gang: The whole Universal gang is here, of course.
Doc from Back to the Future, Beetlejuice and our cast of animated heroes.
Shrek and Puss in Boots will pose for photos while Donkey will riff with you for your vid.
While I haven’t a scooby what the Mystery Machine mob made of this Bandanaman.
Tour de force
Get off your trolley: No, not like that, and I refer you to the Rehydrate section.
No, the studio tour is a joyous journey through 60 years of the behind-the-scenes world of Universal.
Now, they’ve ramped things up here since the last time I was here, as Universal Hollywood always do.
And Jimmy Fallon no less spins us through six decades of stories and sets in 45 minutes.
Joined by pals Stephen Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Jack Black and a host of Hollywood A-listers.
While you’ll also meet Jaws up close and personal who jumps out at you from the Hollywood lake.
While on your mid-tour break when you get out you can meet King Kong.
And something even scarier, Norman Bates fixing his eyes on you as he brings a wrapped-up body out of the motel bedroom.
Throw in a trip into a subway where you roll when an earthquake takes hold and everything breaks around you.
And it’s clear that Universal Hollywood’s story is a ripping yarn with you at the centre of it.
Oh brother
Pizza the action: We end the evening in Universal Hollywood’s in the resort’s newest attraction, Nintendo World.
Where we enter into a world of fun through the Green Tunnel and join Mario, Luigi and Princess Peaches.
And even get to go on a Mario Kart for a ride and a 3-D shoot-up for gold coins.
I’m back in credit (I scored 61 against a high score of 71).
I still got it. My head is spinnin’ in Universal Hollywood.
But I’m rich… in memories.
