By VICTORIA LAI
Anticipation grew as seniors from across the state headed to Universal and Islands of Adventure for Grad Bash.
Friday, May 6, 238 of this senior class loaded buses and headed to Universal for their annual event. Once everyone arrived, chaos began. Nearly 30 schools accumulated into one parking lot and rushed to the gates with a ticket and a wristband. Students piled into lines to go through the metal detector and finally made their way into the park. Because everyone entered through Universal, and were so excited to be there and all hyped up and ready to ride some infamous rollercoasters, the lines for rides were ridiculously long. Rip Ride Rockin Rollercoaster was a 60 minute wait, just five minutes after students entered the park. Before 8 p.m. wait times were two hours.
However, after the initial excitement of being there, things calmed down.
One of the worst parts about an amusement park are the outrageous prices on has to pay for food and drinks, but at Grad Bash there was a souvenir cup for only $5 with free refills available all night. This was the best deal of the night. After students screamed their head off on a ride, those individuals could go fill up their cup full of water or soda for free.
Both parks were open but Universal hosted the concerts. The concerts included B.o.B, Pitbull, DJ Khaled. Concerts started at 9:30 p.m. through almost midnight. The cabana’s lawn was full of seniors dancing to the music.
While Universal was a great place to be, Islands of Adventure was far better. The lines, with the exception of the Hulk, were no more than a 20-minute wait. It took longer to find where the line started, than to actually wait in line. Classic rides like Spiderman, Ripsaw Falls, Jurassic Park and Dr. Doom were five-minute waits and great to ride again and again.
“It was a lot of fun, we really had no lines,” senior Taylor Dudley said. “I really liked how they set it up. There was a lot to do.”
Also a highlight of the night was Harry Potter World. The lines in that park were slightly longer, but well worth the wait. Dragon Challenge’s wait was noticiably longer than others, but if one had friends to entertain oneself, it was fun to wait.
The night was long and fun but it left many students tired and drowsy. By 2 a.m. kids were ready to leave, but it was still a senior event that many will remember.
Next year Grad BAsh at Universal will be anticipating even larger crowds because this year was the last year for schools to go to Grad night at Disney, however, that does not mean it will take away from the experience.