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To the right of the archway, in the Open Arms Hotel building, you will find . . .

Guest Services. Questions or complaints? The cheerful folks here can help you out. Annual passes can also be obtained here.

Lost & Found. Don’t give up on that lost item. There’s a very good chance a fellow tourist or a park staffer will find it and turn it in. Check back the next day, too, just in case.

First Aid. This is one of two first aid stations in the park. The other is in The Lost Continent, near the Sinbad Theater.

Now that you have replenished your wallet, stowed your excess gear, and rented your strollers, you step through that crumbling stone archway incised with the thrilling words “The Adventure Begins” and start your journey toward the Great Inland Sea and the magical islands that ring it.

Port of Entry’s main (and only) street is given over to a variety of shopping and eating establishments. As you stroll along, don’t be surprised if someone tries to talk you into a photographic souvenir of your visit; this is, after all, an exotic marketplace bustling with hawkers. There’s no charge to have your photo snapped; at the end of the day, you can stop into De Foto’s (see below), survey the results, and make your decision.

At the far end of this market street, under another crumbling archway that’s being propped up by a jury-rigged contraption of giant planks and chains, the street opens out into another broad plaza on the shore of the Great Inland Sea. Amid the souvenir kiosks that dot the plaza, look for a large signboard that can help you plan your itinerary. Here a staffer stays in constant touch with the attractions throughout the park and updates the signboard with the current waiting times for the all the rides. If no wait time is posted, that means that the ride is temporarily out of commission.

Roughly opposite the Backwater Bar (see Eating in Port of Entry, below), on the shore of the Great Inland Sea, you might notice a dock once used by Island Skipper Tours, a now defunct ride that ferried passengers to a secluded dock in Jurassic Park on the other side of the park.

Tip: Nestled between Island Skipper Tours and the Incredible Hulk Coaster is a secluded park-like snarl of rock-shielded walkways along the edge of the Inland Sea. At the end, on a point of land jutting into the water, you will find some wooden benches and a little-visited hideaway that is wonderfully romantic at night.

HydroAction Ski Show
Rating:    * * +
Type:     Pared-down water ski and jet ski show
Time:     15 minutes
Kelly says:   Harmless
This mini-spectacle takes place in the middle of the Great Inland Sea and even though the show’s two hosts hold forth from Marvel Super Hero Island and Jurassic Park,  it really belongs to no land.  So I stuck it here for want of a better parking place.

Two water skiers and two jet skiers take turns showing off their expertise in the tight confines of the Inland Sea while two peppy M.C.s gamely keep up a breathless patter that’s as loud as it is inane. I’m sure the performers are top-notch. Unfortunately, there’s just not enough room to give us anything but the slightest hint of what a real water ski spectacular should look like.

Much is made of the difficulty of the stunts, perhaps because the performers make them seem so effortless. There are “splash zones” located in Marvel and Jurassic Park; they are just an invitation to get hosed by the jet skis.

The best seats in the house. There are no seats, of course, you simply stand by the water’s edge. Most spectators seem to gravitate to Marvel and Jurassic Park because that’s where the hosts are, but I find the area behind Mythos offers a terrific view with less crowding and no drenching.

Note: This show is seasonal and may not reappear in 2008.

Eating in Port of Entry
Whether you’re on the way in, on the way out, or just breaking for lunch, there’s both good food and fast food to be had in Port of Entry.

Tip: Visit the thatched-roof kiosk across from Cinnabon by the Inland Sea to make reservations for any restaurant in Universal’s two theme parks or CityWalk.

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