Trip Report Lebeau Family Trip Report 2015: Universal Studios and a Disney Dream Cruise

lebeau · Jul 2, 2015

When I finished with that bit of business, I joined the girls who were already in line waiting to place their orders at the Bayliner Diner. The girls decided to order from the pizza and pasta station. The lines at the time were fairly long so I decided to order from the same station mostly for convenience. Kara got spaghetti and meatballs while the rest of us got pizzas with various toppings.

I went with classic pepperoni. Mindy got her favorite, margarita pizza. Josie opted for a kid's cheese pizza. Mindy and I liked our pizzas well enough. They weren't gourmet, but they were hot and tasty. Josie, who is a picky eater, didn't eat much. Partially, she was saving room for dessert. Kara devoured her meatballs but barely put a dent in the pile of pasta. Her meal also came with a cheesy breadstick which she only half-ate. I didn't even know Mindy had a chocolate cake. Usually, she offers me a taste of whatever she orders so the cake must have been too good to share.

After the kids had eaten enough of their dinner to satisfy their mother, it was time to hit the frozen yogurt bar. My kids love these things. Their eyes are always bigger than their stomachs. No matter how big the cup is, the kids insist on filling it. If someone handed them a bucket, it would be completely filled with yogurt and toppings. The concept of paying by the ounce is lost on these kids, I tell you.

Josie loaded her yogurt with all the candy toppings while Kara tried to remain "healthy" by sticking to fruits and berries. After we weighed in, it cost me about half what the fro yo bar costs at home. So at least progress was made. But even so, about half of the yogurt and toppings went to waste. Grrr.

After dinner, we headed back to the room. The girls had wanted to check out the pool, but it was still pretty overcast and we could hear thunder in the distance. They decided to settle in for the night instead.

The next morning, I looked out the window to check the weather. Not a cloud in the sky! Better yet, we had a partial view of Hogwarts castle from our room. I want to point out that this was a standard room, not a suite. We didn't pay for a special view of any kind. Our room was described as having a "parking lot view" which is accurate. But you can bet your bottom dollar Disney would have classified a room like this as having a "castle view" and charged an extra $80.

We wanted to take full advantage of the early admission to Harry Potter, so we got ready as quickly as we could and made our way to the shuttle station. As we approached, I was pretty certain I could see a bus waiting for us. At Disney, this would mean breaking into a sprint to reach the bus before it pulls away and leaves you with a twenty-minute wait for the next bus. But as we got closer, I saw another bus. And another. Three buses were waiting for us at the station! Three!

The first bus loaded and pulled away as we were approaching. We boarded the second bus with no waiting. Everyone had a seat. This stands in stark contrast to Disney World where buses tend to be standing room only and twenty-minute waits are the norm. There was still a third bus boarding as we pulled away. I never saw anyone have to wait to board a shuttle at Universal. Not once.

If it seems like I am putting undue emphasis on the shuttle service, it's because Disney's transportation has become a major inconvenience over the last several years. Crowded buses and long waits have been a consistent source of dissatisfaction across the last several Disney trips. It seems like a small thing, but it's not. This is one area where Universal is kicking Disney's butt. It won't matter to everyone. But it made a world of difference to us. Which is exactly the sort of thing Disney used to be known for.

The bus dropped us off just outside Universal's massive parking structure. I was very glad not to have to navigate the parking complex as I would have if I had stayed off site. We still had a bit of a hike to get into the parks, but Universal has moving sidewalks to make it all go faster. Soon we were making our way down their shopping and dining complex, City Walk.

City Walk is kind of like Disney's Downtown Disney complex. It's filled with shops and restaurants. Unlike Downtown Disney, City Walk is centrally located. You walk through it to get to the gates of the two theme parks. Everything is within walking distance of everything else. Even the hotels are a relatively short 20 minute walk from the theme parks.

Along the way, we stopped to pose for some fun pictures. Eventually, the walking got to be a bit much for Kara. Once we got into Universal Studios, we still had to walk all the way to the back of the park where Diagon Alley is located. I picked Kara up and put her on my shoulders to keep her from wearing out.

I had visited Universal once before in 2008 before the addition of the Harry Potter attractions. I was familiar with a lot of the park, but I didn't know it as well as I know the Disney parks. Universal was completely new to the girls. We were rushing past attractions which wouldn't open until later that morning in order to get to the Escape From Gringotts ride before the line got too long.

Next: Early admission to Diagon Alley

FlaggNL · Jul 3, 2015

Wow what a great start! Thanks for sharing! Love the pics and such a good quality! Absolutely following along

12in12 · Jul 4, 2015

Great start to your TR. looking forward to reading more.

blreinsel · Jul 4, 2015

Loved your past TR's and am loving this one so far! Can't believe how big your girls are getting! Following along.

DisSplash · Jul 4, 2015

Looking forward to reading more! I promised my son a visit to Universal the next time we head to Orlando (possibly summer 2016) if he got straight A's all year, and I now owe him that! (Happily, I might add). That said, I will be paying close attention to your Universal visit in this report ...

Also looking forward to your Dream report! We sailed the Dream in January of 2014 and we fell for DCL hook, line, and sinker! Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

lebeau · Jul 4, 2015

FlaggNL said:
Wow what a great start! Thanks for sharing! Love the pics and such a good quality! Absolutely following along

Universal was a great start to our vacation. We all agreed that this was far and away the best vacation we ever took. The one thing we will definitely do differently is to spend more time at Universal. We crammed a lot into one day, but by the end we were exhausted.

StarBurst said:
very cool trip report,
like your writing style too..
i read and enjoy your blog BTW

I'm glad you are enjoying the trip report and even more glad you read the blog! Thanks for reading both. As soon as I finish this trip report (which is just mammouth) I'll be getting back to the meat and potatoes of WTHH articles on the blog.

RedNoseMickey said:
Great start to your TR. looking forward to reading more.

Looking forward to posting more!

Thanks!

blgauger said:
Loved your past TR's and am loving this one so far! Can't believe how big your girls are getting! Following along.

Tell me about it! Every time I turn around they are getting bigger and bigger. Before you know it, I'm going to have teenagers. I'm not ready for that.

DisSplash said:
Looking forward to reading more! I promised my son a visit to Universal the next time we head to Orlando (possibly summer 2016) if he got straight A's all year, and I now owe him that! (Happily, I might add). That said, I will be paying close attention to your Universal visit in this report ...

Also looking forward to your Dream report! We sailed the Dream in January of 2014 and we fell for DCL hook, line, and sinker! Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

I'll share some thoughts with you right here. We loved Universal. Mindy thought it was much better than Disney World. Due to the higher capacity attractions and smaller crowds, the waits just aren't nearly as long and the parks don't feel as crowded. Everything is within walking distance of everything else which is a big advantage over the sprawl at Disney! We would like to see a little less reliance on screens in the future. That was probably our biggest complaint. And of course, they don't have the nostalgia that Disney has. But other than that, Universal has a lot of advantages over Disney right now.

When you go, I definitely recommend staying at a Universal on-property hotel for at least one night. The rates are better than what you'll find at Disney and the perks are definitely worth the price. The transportation was fantastic.

We fell for the cruise thing too. Mindy's claustrophobia made us very reluctant to take a cruise. So we ended up spending the extra to sail concierge. It paid off. She can't wait to do it again. The downside is the girls got used to a life of luxury and only want to travel concierge from now on! Ooops.

lebeau · Jul 4, 2015

Diagon Alley is hidden behind a recreation of London. Next to the fountain is the Knight Bus. The driver stands outside and interacts with guests as they make their way into Diagon Alley. Inside the bus is a shrunken head that also talks to guests.

Our first time through, we were following another family. The last time I was here, this section of the park was the home of the Jaws ride. So I didn't know the way in. As it turns out, neither did the family we were following. We walked right past the entrance to Diagon Alley. A Universal castmember (do they call them castmembers at Universal?) was on hand to point us in the right direction.

She didn't expressly tell us where to go. Instead, she recited a rhyme which I assume is from the Harry Potter stories. Something about entering through the red bricks. Sure enough, when we walked through the red brick area we heard the sound of a brick wall opening to make way for us to enter. Then we saw the open pathway beckoning us into a world of wizardry.

Once you enter Diagon Alley, you feel transported. I am not a big Harry Potter fan. I have seen each movie one time and that has been enough for me. I'm a muggle. But despite my limited familiarity with the source material, I was completely amazed by the immersion in this fantasy world. The original Harry Potter section that opened in Islands of Adventure was impressive. But Diagon Alley raises the bar in terms of creating a seamless illusion. Pictures just don't do it justice. You have to walk through it to fully take in all the details.

This is far and away the best themed environment anywhere in Orlando and I suspect the entire US. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you could spend all day exploring the nooks and crannies. There are endless details hidden all over the place. But we didn't have time for that yet. We needed to get to the area's headline attraction before the lines got too long. We were headed to Escape From Gringotts.

Fans of the books and movies know that Gringotts is a bank for wizards which is run by goblins. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry and friends enter the bank disguised as villains to retrieve an item which is essential to defeating the villainous Lord Voldemort. The ride recreates this scene from the movie in exacting detail starting with an elaborate queue.

As we made our way through the bank lobby, we passed several goblins in business suits who were going about their business.

The goblins nodded and grumbled dismissively.

The head goblin sat in the center of the room at a large desk. He was looking over his ledger with great intensity.

Inside the halls of the bank, there are details which set the scene for the ride. Newspapers are spread out on desks. As in the movies, the pictures in the paper come to life recreating the story.

There is a pre show in which Bill Weasley explains what's going on in case you haven't read the book or seen the movie. But really, it doesn't much matter. The ride is a sensory overload. Whether you know the story or not, you're going to rocket through a mine while giants, dragons and magical villains try to stop you.

Not surprisingly, Kara wanted no part of any of this. We assured her that she wouldn't have to ride. We were going to use a child swap so we could take turns riding while she waited. At one point, the line included a very realistic elevator which appeared to descend deep into the tunnels below Gringotts. Kara required constant assurance that she was not actually going to ride. She was very relieved when we finally split up for child swap. I let Mindy and Josie ride first while Kara and I headed to the waiting room.

The room includes a TV which plays a loop of scenes from the Harry Potter movies. The clips include all the scenes from the movies that take place at Gringotts. Watching the clips, it's really apparent how accurately the ride and the queue recreate the world of Harry Potter.

We ended up waiting a little longer than I expected. It turns out the ride was down for a couple of minutes. Josie had been a little nervous about riding Escape From Gringotts. She was scared of the dragon on top of the bank. So I wasn't sure if she would be riding with me or if I would be riding alone. As soon as Mindy and Josie returned, I knew I would have a companion for my ride-through. Josie was bouncing with excitement. She loved it.

The ride combines a fairly tame roller coaster with the kind 3-D screens that are the basis for several of Universal's motion simulation rides. The integration is nearly seamless and the ride is lots of fun. It's meant to be a more family friendly attraction than the motion-sickness inducing Forbidden Journey at Hogsmeade. While the ride is thrilling, it is appropriate for most children and adults who usually avoid roller coasters.

Not for the last time, I found myself thinking "Disney World doesn't have anything like this."

Next: The Big Pink

lebeau · Jul 4, 2015

By the time we had all finished riding Escape From Gringotts, the park was opening to the general public. The girls were getting hungry and they knew what they wanted for breakfast.

Before we even got on the plane, the girls were talking about the Big Pink Donut at Lard Lads in the Simpsons area of the park.

Once again, the girls hammed it up for photos along the way.

We ordered one Big Pink and a couple of milks to share. The donut is just like any other donut. But there's something undeniably fun about splitting a donut that is as big as your head.

Kara ended up abstaining from the donut. She just wasn't in the mood. We asked her if she wanted something else, but nothing appealed to her. She helped out with the milk, but Mindy, Josie and I had to finish the Big Pink Donut ourselves.

After breakfast, the girls took a potty break before we started riding rides again. I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures around Springfield.

The Simpsons area isn't nearly as immersive as Diagon Alley, but it is filled with fun icons which will be recognizable to the many fans of the Simpsons cartoon.

Josie started watching Simpsons reruns on cable a few months ago. The show is arguably inappropriate for her age group. But I figure I'd rather she get her off-color humor from a smart cartoon than somewhere else. So I let her watch it and she has become a fan. She loved visiting so many iconic locations from the show. Now they just need to build the Simpsons house!

Nearby was the DeLorean from Back to the Future and the train from Back to the Future Part III. Naturally, I had to snap a photo. Later in the day, when we returned to this area, Doc Brown was doing meet and greets by the time traveling car.

The placement may seem odd, but it's not random. Before the Simpson moved in, this area was the home to a Back to the Future ride. These vehicles and the Doc Brown meet and greet remain as a tribute to the former occupant.

Having consumed a giant donut, we doubled back to Men In Black: Alien Attack to fight some aliens. The ride is a shooter like Toy Story Mania or Buzz Lightyear at Disney World. But it's much, much cooler. The premise is that guests are undergoing a Men in Black training program. We start off shooting at cartoonish targets. But soon, our training is interrupted by a real alien invasion. Guests open fire on targets while scoring points. If an alien shoots you back, your car goes into a tailspin. It's a lot of fun.

This ride was a test for us. There's no drops or dips. It's not fast. The only motion is spinning. There are some scary-looking aliens, but you are given laser guns to shoot them. I figured there was a good chance that even Kara would enjoy Men in Black if we could get her to ride it. It took a bit of coaxing, but eventually she agreed to ride and sure enough she loved blasting the aliens.

Since our plan was to cram both Universal parks into one day, I had purchased Universal's Unlimited Express Pass. This allowed us to wait in shorter lines for the majority of attractions. For Men in Black, we walked on with no wait at all. Escape From Gringotts is one of the few rides that doesn't participate in Express Pass which is why it was our top priority that morning.

After Men in Black, we were back in Springfield. The idea was to ride our way back to the front of the park where Kara would get to ride Minion Mayhem. Our first stop along the way was The Simpsons Ride which is a motion simulator like Despicable Me. The ride systems are similar, but The Simpsons is a little more lively. In the ride, Sideshow Bob takes over Krustyland and forces the Simpsons to ride a dangerous roller coaster so he can get his revenge. We guests are along for the ride.

The Simpsons is a wild ride as motion simulators go. In addition to thrills, the attraction offers laughs. The jokes - many at Disney's expense - come fast and furious. There are too many to catch in one ride through. Kara didn't like this one nearly as much as Men in Black, but she made it through.

After riding with the Simpsons, we slowed things down a bit with Kang and Kodo's Twirl and Hurl. Despite the name, the ride is exceptionally tame. It's essentially Dumbo but themed to a drooling alien rather than a flying elephant. There are lots of funny Simpson's touches. The alien announced that we would know when the ride was over when the vehicles came to a complete stop or he had eaten us. The kids got a big kick out of the silly ride.

As we were waiting to ride, I spotted all four members of the Simpsons family walking out of the Quick-E-Mart gift shop. I couldn't see where they were headed, but I made a mental note. The Simpsons were among the characters the kids had expressed an interest in seeing while we were at Universal. After the ride, I popped my head into the Quick-E-Mart to ask about their whereabouts. The employee gave me a complete rundown on where the characters might be and when they might be there. I will admit, I was a bit overwhelmed.

From what I observed, character meet and greets are handled very differently at Universal than they are at Disney World. At Disney, meets and greets are very regimented. There are signs and the meeting times and locations are listed on guidebooks and on Disney's app. On the one hand, this makes meeting a specific character very easy. You know where they will be and when. On the other hand, the Disney method sacrifices spontaneity and practically guarantees a long line for any remotely popular character.

From what I was told, the Simpsons were alternating meet and greets with Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob - two characters the kids definitely did not want to meet. From what I could gather, the Simpson family would return in about a half hour. We didn't feel like waiting around, so we moved on.

Next: The Universal Dining Plan and Minion Mayhem

smk · Jul 5, 2015

Can't wait to read more about the best family vacation ever!

Disney-leaf · Jul 5, 2015

I love this TR! I am now so excited to visit Universal in just over 3 weeks!

Eagerly awaiting more!

Figgy1 · Jul 5, 2015

THNX for sharing! Now I'm even more excite for our vacation there next year.

lebeau · Jul 5, 2015

smk said:
Can't wait to read more about the best family vacation ever!

If you just can't wait, you can read ahead at my blog. I'm writing the trip report there and copying it in bits and pieces over here. So the site is always a little bit ahead of this thread.

Or if you'd rather, everything will be making its way here in good time. Either

Disney-leaf said:
I love this TR! I am now so excited to visit Universal in just over 3 weeks!
Eagerly awaiting more!

Have a great time. I can't wait to hear about your experiences. I'm sure you'll have a blast. Universal is really a fantastic vacation spot.

figmentfan423 said:
THNX for sharing! Now I'm even more excite for our vacation there next year.

Universal has been on an upswing lately. I'm looking forward to getting back. We may even go in for a longer Universal visit next year. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun when you go.

smk · Jul 5, 2015

Read ahead on your blog! Still want more!! Lovin' it!

lebeau · Jul 6, 2015

smk said:
Read ahead on your blog! Still want more!! Lovin' it!

Part One of the cruise portion of the trip is now up at the site. Hard at work on Part 2.

Glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for reading!

lebeau · Jul 6, 2015

Around this time, Kara reported that she wasn't feeling well. It was hot and she hadn't eaten anything yet. Kara has a tendency to overheat and get sick. So we wanted to get her off her feet and out of the sun. We happened to be passing Mel's Drive-In at the time, so we ducked in. This counter-service restaurant is based on the teen hang-out in American Graffiti. It serves classic American drive-in food; burgers, fries and shakes as you would expect.

When I bought our park tickets, I also purchased the Universal Dining Plan with Coke Freestyle Souvenir Mugs. I knew Mel's had the Freestyle machines and we could fill up our souvenir mugs here. Kara decided she could go for a kid's cheeseburger and fries, so I went to place the order.

This is where things went off the rails a little bit. Universal is doing a lot of things right. But based on our experiences, they still have some kinks to work out on their dining plan.

Mindy took the girls to sit down at a booth while I waited for the girl at the register to ring me up. There was obviously some kind of problem. She was busy swiping cards and punching buttons far longer than should have been necessary. Josie came to see what was keeping me. The girl at the register called a supervisor to help. After more card swiping and button pushing, the supervisor called in a manager.

Josie came back to tell me Kara was really thirsty. I asked the assemblage of restaurant employees if I could have one of my four cups so I could get my daughter a drink. They quickly got me all four cups. The cups have a chip in them that activates the soda fountains, so they needed to be turned on. I took the cups back to the girls and we all got drinks while the employees continued whatever they were doing at the register.

Kara's food came up soon after. I brought the burger and fries back to her and she dove into them hungrily. When I returned to the register, they seemed to have worked out the problem. The manager handed me the four dining cards pictured above and explained that the first girl had accidentally given me four adult cards instead of three adults and one child. So all of that hullabaloo was because the girl accidentally gave me the wrong card. The manager also handed me a very long receipt paper and told me I should hold on to it. The implication was "good luck with this, buddy!"

Ironically, after all of that, they forgot to charge us for Kara's kid's meal. So if I had wanted to, I could have redeemed another meal anyway. When I got back to the booth, Kara had finished about half of her burger and the color had returned to her cheeks. She was back to her usual silly self. The rest of us were still too full of donuts to eat, but we enjoyed a little down time while she ate.

From inside the restaurant, I could see that Bart and Homer Simpson were conducting meet and greets outside at the nearby RV. I asked the girls if they wanted to step out quickly and meet with Homer and Bart. They declined. They were a little skittish around characters this trip. Based on their decision not to meet with Bart and Homer, I was pretty sure we wouldn't be stopping for any meet and greets at Universal which was fine with me.

As we approached our destination, we saw a few other character interactions. In the distance, we saw a few minions. They were riding around in a parade float. I have heard that the minions have been making more random appearances than usual to coincide with the release of the Minions movie later this summer. Unfortunately, we were too far away to meet up with the minions.

We also saw Vector, Gru's rival from Despicable Me. He was just randomly walking down the street. The kids' "no villains" rule applied so we didn't stop to see him. Not far behind was classic cartoon vamp, Betty Boop. The kids had no idea who she was. She was flirting with guests along the street. Once again, there was no line to see her. All you had to do was look her way and she would initiate an interaction. But since the kids were unfamiliar with her, we continued on to Minion Mayhem.

When we arrived at our destination, the posted wait time was 70 minutes. This is where the Express Pass really paid off. Up until now, it had saved us a few minutes here and there. But Express Pass easily shaved an hour off our wait time for Minion Mayhem.

I will say that overall, Universal's rides have a very high-capacity which results in relatively short lines. Minion Mayhem is the exception rather than the rule. It was the only attraction we experienced where Express Pass was a necessity.

There was some grumbling when the queue for the ride was out in the hot Florida sun. But spirits lifted once we got back into the air conditioning in Gru's house.

Kara was a bit excited.

Gru's house is filled with unusual decorations befitting a super villain. There are also signs of his recent adoption of three little girls as depicted in the original Despicable Me.

The attraction has two pre shows which inform us of the ride's back story. Gru is busy working on a device that will turn humans into minions. We are his test subjects. Meanwhile, his adoptive daughters want to give him a gift to celebrate the one year anniversary since their adoption. There's lots of silliness including a fart gun that sprays the audience with the scent of the minions' favorite snack, bananas. The girls absolutely loved it.

The ride is similar to The Simpsons in that it is a 3-D motion simulator. But the ride is a bit more subdued and the video is less menacing. While Kara didn't enjoy The Simpsons, Minion Mayhem was a big hit. The one modest disappointment was that the dance party at the end of the ride was empty. Sometimes there are "live" minions waiting to dance with guests. But despite the absence of minions at the exit, we all enjoyed the ride. Kara was satisfied which was all that really mattered.

Next: Monsters, Robots and Aliens

lebeau · Jul 6, 2015

By this point, we had experienced our "must do" attractions for the park. We had barely scratched the surface of what Universal Studios had to offer. But this was always intended to be a taste of Universal. There was no way to cram both parks into one day even with the advantages of Express Pass and early admission. So we decided it was time to start heading back to Diagon Alley. Once we got there, we planned to spend some time exploring before hopping on the Hogwarts Express to ride over to Islands of Adventure. We also planned to stop for lunch somewhere along the way.

But first, we had to take care of a potty break. Kara is prone to requiring potty breaks with little advance warning. This one was sprung on us relatively near the Universal Studios' Classic Monsters Cafe.

I can't speak to the food here as we didn't partake. But I was glad we took a minute to pop in. The restaurant is kind of like a museum for classic movie monsters. Rooms are themed to movie monster locations like a crypt, an Egyptian dig site or a mad scientist's laboratory. There are paintings, busts, costumes and props from old movie like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Wolfman and Creature From the Black Lagoon.

There's also TV screens all over the place playing clips from black-and-white horror movies. I have read less than stellar reviews of the food offered here. But it's definitely worth a look around if you like movie monsters.

Having completed our pressing business, we continued along to the back of the park. I bribed the kids to ride Transformers: The Ride with me. It wasn't so much that I wanted to ride Transformers. I am on the record as not being a fan of the franchise. I have yet to watch any of the movies. But the ride system is very similar to the Spider-man ride at Islands of Adventure, so I thought it was worth a look.

If I had never experienced Spider-man before, I probably would have been more impressed with Transformers than I was. Or if I had any affection for the source material whatsoever. Technically, the attraction does a lot of really impressive things. But I found myself comparing it unfavorably to Spider-man which features characters I know and love as opposed to heaps of grinding metal.

I don't know what the posted wait time was, but thanks to Express Pass Transformers was another walk-on for us. With the exception of the remaining Harry Potter attractions which do not participate in Express Pass, we never had to wait to ride another attraction all day long. It was a nice perk but not essential. As the day went on, the posted wait times for everything got shorter and shorter.

One common criticism of Universal is that many of their attractions rely on video screens. At the beginning of our day, this didn't bother me in the least. But I had to admit that after having ridden Escape From Gringotts, The Simpsons Ride, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and now Transformers, I was feeling a little screen fatigue. As Universal continues to expand, they should definitely try to add a little more variety in their attraction line-up.

Our next stop was the E.T. Adventure. Screens wouldn't be an issue here. This is an old school dark ride. Emphasis on the "old". Rumors have circulated for years that the E.T. Adventure might close its doors for good. I think the only things preventing that from happening are Universal's relationship with Steven Spielberg (who rumors has it wasn't thrilled with the removal of Jaws) and the fact that the park lacks for dark rides.

I don't know if my girls have watched E.T. all the way through. In fact, I would bet against it. But they have seen enough of it to be fond of the visitor from another planet. It didn't take too much coaxing to get the family on board for a bicycle ride to E.T.'s planet.

The story is introduced by a much younger looking Spielberg with help from E.T. himself. They inform guests that it is up to us to get E.T. back to his home world, The Green Planet. Apparently his planet is dying without him and only E.T.'s healing touch can save the day.

Guests board a ride vehicle that looks like a cluster of bicycles, but you don't have to pedal. We were seated up front where E.T.'s head pokes out of a basket just like in the movie. The ride starts off in a dark forest filled with vaguely menacing government workers and scientists who are looking for the extra terrestrial. But then the bikes take flight and we soar over the forest and past the moon.

If you grew up on E.T., this is a charming flight. Back in the early 80's, who didn't want to fly with E.T. across the moon? I know I did. If you looked down below, there was the town in miniature. It reminded me a great deal of Disney World's Peter Pan's Flight. But where that ride is considered a timeless classic, E.T. is seen as a dated throw-back. It can't be based on the attractions' technical merits. Disney has allowed Peter Pan to fall into a state of decrepitude whereas Universal has actually enhanced the ride experience at E.T. I suspect the difference can be attributed largely to nostalgia. People grew up on the creaky Peter Pan ride. On the other hand, E.T. has fallen into relative cultural irrelevance.

It may also have something to do with the fact that the end of the E.T. Adventure is kind of weird, E.T.'s home planet is vibrant and colorful, but it is also filled with alien life forms who only kind of resemble the alien we know and love. As the ride ends, we pass E.T. as he thanks each of us by name. But E.T.'s annunciation leaves something to be desired. We were only able to make out about half of our names.

Like a lot of attractions in Orlando, the E.T. Adventure opens into a gift shop. While the girls weren't all that impressed with the ride itself, they sure did like E.T.'s Toy closet. The shop offers the chance to pose for a picture with E.T. for a price of course. It also sells a variety of E.T. merchandise along with a couple of items from the deposed Back to the Future.

We had re-instituted our old "points" system. For those who are unfamiliar with the system, it goes like this: every time a child experiences an attraction, they score points. At some point during the day, points are able to be redeemed for something at the gift shop. Simple, right? By this juncture, the girls were pretty sure they had amassed enough points to take home an E.T. plush, I had offered them "double points" for Transformers after all.

They began asking how many points they had accrued and how many dollars each point was worth. But here's the thing. That's not how points work. The truth is, we don't keep track of points at all. I know I'm going to let them buy something from the gift shop at some point during the day. So the truth is, points are meaningless. They are just a carrot I dangle to encourage good behavior. But to the girls, accounting for points was a serious matter.

Eventually, I convinced them to save their points until the end of the day so they wouldn't have to carry around a stuffed animal with them. Reluctantly, they agreed.

Next: Lunch at Fast Food Blvd

lebeau · Jul 7, 2015

We decided to stop for lunch at Fast Food Blvd in the Simpson section of the park. Kara said she was still full from her burger and fries from Mel's Drive-In. So we let Josie decide where to eat. Our picky eater decided that she wanted french fries for lunch. Krusty Burger serves seasoned curly fries. There was some debate over whether or not those would be satisfactory. Ultimately, Josie decided the curly fries would have to do.

Once we got inside, we realized that we hadn't really needed to decide which fast food joint to eat at. All of the eateries on Fast Food Blvd were connected as one giant food court. This is apparently a popular destination for lunch. It was right about 1:00 and the place was packed. There was a line just to be able to place your order.

We were directed by one Universal castmember to advance into the main line. Almost immediately, another Universal castmember ran over from where he was positioned and basically accused us of line-jumping. He got into it with the first castmember who insisted that we were allowed into the main line. The second castmember got huffy but let the issue go. He gave us a look that indicated we had gotten away with it this time, but he would be watching us. Mindy was highly annoyed. I was more confused than anything.

Faced with the prospect of waiting in line just to be able to go order food, Mindy suggested bailing. But I pointed out that the line was moving quickly and the food court afforded us several options. We had been given a printed menu but the funny names threw Mindy for a loop. Kara, who initially wasn't hungry, decided she wanted "chicken thumbs" which are actually chicken tenders. Mindy decided to stick with the chicken line and order a chicken sandwich. Josie, who had wanted french fries, decided the tater tots at the Chicken Shack were an even better option. So I decided to go along with everyone else and order chicken.

Soon we were at the front of the line and ready to order. That's when Mindy noticed that they served chicken wings (listed as "chicken arms" on the menu. Kara switched her order from chicken tenders to chicken wings without sauce. I ordered the double batter chicken platter which Mindy had not noticed on the menu. When she saw that I was getting a legit fried chicken platter, she changed her order to match.

At this point, things get a little bumpy again. Remember I told you we had the Universal Dining Plan along with the Coke Freestyle Souvenir Mugs. I had read up on the plan before we left and my understanding was that our meal would include a regular drink in addition to the use of the Freestyle machines. Fast Food Blvd does not have a Freestyle machine, so we went ahead and ordered drinks. The girl at the register told us that the Freestyle Mugs replace the regular beverages that are included with the meal so our drinks were not included. I balked. We paid extra for the Freestyle mugs and now we were being told that it decreased the value of the meal plan. That didn't sound right.

The girl immediately told me that she would "let us go" which sounded a lot like the guy who had accused us of line jumping a few minutes earlier. I still don't know how the program is supposed to work, but based on what I read at Universal's website I suspect the girl who rang us up was wrong.

This chart comes directly from Universal's website. According to the chart, the Universal Dining Plan + Coca-Cola Freestyle includes a quick service meal (entrée and a non-alcoholic drink), a snack and the use of the Freestyle machines. If this is not how the plan is intended to work, Universal needs to seriously re-evaluate their dining plan. At a minimum, make sure there are Freestyle machines available at all the quick service locations. Otherwise the $6 upgrade for the Freestyle mugs is actually a limitation more than a benefit.

If I was right, as I suspect I was, they need to make sure the employees manning the register understand how the dining plan works. After this and the incident at Mel's, it seemed to be a source of confusion. It would probably also be a good idea to train the employees not to be accusational when dealing with guests. Most of the employees we interacted with were every bit as good as the ones at Walt Disney World. But we did not receive good customer service at lunch that day.

I was too hungry to let the poor service get under my skin. Once we had all our food - and drinks - we headed out to the dining area to dig in. It got really quiet as everyone was enjoying their meal. The fried chicken had a corn flake and buttermilk batter which was delicious. The sides were satisfactory as well. It's hard to mess up cole slaw, corn and mashed potatoes. Everyone enjoyed their meals. After which, we were full and decided to linger in the air conditioning for just a while.

We were seated near a giant mural depicting I don't know how many characters from The Simpsons. As we rested, we had fun spotting gags and references to the show. Our resident Simpsons fan approved.

Next: Butterbeer and Magic Wands

lebeau · Jul 7, 2015

After lunch, we made our way back to Diagon Alley. The plan was... there was no plan. We were just going to explore the surroundings until we decided to move on to Islands of Adventure. I am sometimes (frequently) accused by some (my wife) of not being spontaneous. But this bit of spontaneity didn't go over as well as one might think. I was asked on several occasions where we were going next. The answer was always something along the lines of "I don't know" or "where do you want to go".

There was so much to see and do that no one protested too loudly. Every turn brought something new and interesting to investigate. I can only imagine what this must be like for someone who has read all the books. It has to be Potter nirvana.

There may not be a lot of animatronics in the rides at Universal, but they are everywhere in Diagon Alley. They blend into the environment so well, you may not realize you are looking at one until it blinks to life. We saw several fantasy creatures including this cat-like animal, a slithering snake and a phoenix. The entire area is like one giant walk-through attraction.

We followed a sign into a dark alley. Knockturn Alley was creepy and filled with shadows. We could hear strange noises coming from every direction. My understanding is that this is where the Harry Potter villains buy their black magic supplies. I was thinking the villains had the right idea because Knockturn Alley had the A/C cranked up to 11. It has to be the coolest (in terms of temperature) area in any Orlando theme park. I could have planted there for a little rest and relaxation, but the girls were not fans of the sinister atmosphere. Sadly, our visit to the dark side of Diagon Alley was brief.

As we got our bearings in Diagon Alley, a live show was starting. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a crowd. Considering we were visiting during the busy summer season, the notoriously packed Harry Potter land was sparsely populated. Kara sat down in the front row to take in Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees. I decided to follow her lead. The show is the wizard equivalent of a girl group. I think I heard that JK Rowling contributed lyrics to the songs.

Apparently the character is mentioned in the books. But even without any of that background info, the show was a fun live musical performance. They pulled a tall fellow from the audience for a little participation. He played along and danced awkwardly when Celestina draped her boa around his shoulders. When he was done, he forgot to give the boa back and she had to chase after him.

After the show, we resumed exploring. This generally consisted of wandering towards whatever caught our eyes. We spent roughly an hour just ducking in and out of stores and marveling over hidden details. I don't know for sure, but I would estimate we actually took in a fairly small percentage of all there was to see. If I had more time, I probably could have spent hours wandering the streets.

The stores are cozy bordering on cramped. There's not much I like less than being stuck in a crowded store. These were just shy of "good god get me out of here!" On a busier day, I don't know if I could handle them. But there's so much going on that I was able to get over my dislike of tight spaces for a little while. The employees at the store wander around giving demonstrations to us muggles. It's part show and part sales pitch. But I never felt any pressure to buy anything.

One of our "must dos" for the day was to try butterbeer. In the stories, this lightly alcoholic drink is extremely popular with wizards. In the real world, Universal has come up with a non-alcoholic version that has sparked a craze. The base of the drink is very much like a cream soda. It is topped with a butterscotch foam which is insanely sweet. My first sip was pure foam and it just about sent me into a sugar coma. The foam will mix with the already sweet drink, but it's not a bad idea to stir it up a little before diving in.

Butterbeer has proven so popular at Universal that they have added numerous ways to enjoy it. The original choices were cold and frozen. The frozen version has the consistency of a slush. The kids and I each opted for frozen butterbeer while Mindy went with a cold one. The cold butterbeer has the advantage of being easier to drink. With the frozen butterbeer, you ran the risk of getting brain freeze. But it was oh so worth it. I had to force myself to slow down but sometimes my enthusiasm got the better of me and I suffered a sweet chill.

The other two varieties of butterbeer are warm and ice cream. Not a lot to say about these options since we didn't sample them. But I'm definitely interested in that butterbeer ice cream. The flavor seems like it would lend itself well to a rich, creamy dessert.

One final note, we used our snack credits on the Universal dining plan to purchase the butterbeer. If you're on the plan, it's an extremely efficient use of snack credits. Most of the menus in the park have labels letting you know what can and can't be redeemed. But in the Harry Potter sections, the menus don't include these labels because it would detract from the theme. So you kind of just have to know that butterbeer is an option.

While we were sipping our cold drinks, The Tale of Three Brothers puppet show was playing on the same stage where we had watched Celestina and the Banshees a little while ago. The show tells the origin of Voldemort as told in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The puppetry is impressive. There was more of a crowd for this show and we were distracted by our snacks. So I have to admit I wasn't fully engaged. But it was nice to have live entertainment options.

Before we left Diagon Alley, Josie wanted to visit Ollivanders Wand Shop. Wands are the expensive souvenir of choice in Orlando. With the addition of Diagon Alley, the wands got an upgrade. They are now "interactive" which means there are locations scattered about both parks where you can use your wand to trigger a "spell". We saw lots of guests using their wands all over both Harry Potter lands. But with only one day to experience both parks, I didn't want to take up this time-consuming pastime. However, I had prepared myself to shell out for wands in the unlikely event that one of our kids was chosen to participate in the Olivanders show.

You don't just walk into Olivanders. Before you enter, a small group is gathered and lead into a chamber where a wand master gives a demonstration. The wand expert picks a child from the audience and helps them choose their wand. The show is very popular despite being just a few minutes long. Prior to the opening of Diagon Alley, it was not uncommon for there to be long lines just to get into Olivanders. Now that the store has two locations, the waits are more reasonable. We were fortunate enough to walk right in.

As we entered the chamber where the show takes place, I took a quick look around. I came to the realization that I might have to shell out for the expensive trinket after all. Two of the three kids in the audiences were ours. And they were easily the cutest. The wand master clearly agreed with me. She walked right up to Josie and asked her to participate. I could feel Josie tense up a little, so I gave her a nudge and whispered that she should step forward.

Unfortunately, it was too dark for me to record the show on my phone. But the general gist of it is that the wand master asks the participant to try a series of wands. Each time, the spell goes slightly awry. When the final wand is presented, the participant is bathed in a warm glow as various magical effects signal the wand has chosen its owner.

So I was fully prepared to fork out $80 for the wand that had chosen Josie. But to my surprise, she decided she'd rather save her points for something she would use more often. This was really the best possible outcome. We got the fun of the show without the pain of buying an expensive plastic stick. If we go back to Universal for an extended stay, I may be willing to buy a couple of wands for the interactive games in the parks. But for this trip, I was relieved to leave Olivanders empty-handed.

Next: Hogwarts Express and Jurassic Park

Figgy1 · Jul 7, 2015

lebeau said:
After lunch, we made our way back to Diagon Alley. The plan was... there was no plan. We were just going to explore the surroundings until we decided to move on to Islands of Adventure. I am sometimes (frequently) accused by some (my wife) of not being spontaneous. But this bit of spontaneity didn't go over as well as one might think. I was asked on several occasions where we were going next. The answer was always something along the lines of "I don't know" or "where do you want to go".

There was so much to see and do that no one protested too loudly. Every turn brought something new and interesting to investigate. I can only imagine what this must be like for someone who has read all the books. It has to be Potter nirvana.

There may not be a lot of animatronics in the rides at Universal, but they are everywhere in Diagon Alley. They blend into the environment so well, you may not realize you are looking at one until it blinks to life. We saw several fantasy creatures including this cat-like animal, a slithering snake and a phoenix. The entire area is like one giant walk-through attraction.

We followed a sign into a dark alley. Knockturn Alley was creepy and filled with shadows. We could hear strange noises coming from every direction. My understanding is that this is where the Harry Potter villains buy their black magic supplies. I was thinking the villains had the right idea because Knockturn Alley had the A/C cranked up to 11. It has to be the coolest (in terms of temperature) area in any Orlando theme park. I could have planted there for a little rest and relaxation, but the girls were not fans of the sinister atmosphere. Sadly, our visit to the dark side of Diagon Alley was brief.

As we got our bearings in Diagon Alley, a live show was starting. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a crowd. Considering we were visiting during the busy summer season, the notoriously packed Harry Potter land was sparsely populated. Kara sat down in the front row to take in Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees. I decided to follow her lead. The show is the wizard equivalent of a girl group. I think I heard that JK Rowling contributed lyrics to the songs.

Apparently the character is mentioned in the books. But even without any of that background info, the show was a fun live musical performance. They pulled a tall fellow from the audience for a little participation. He played along and danced awkwardly when Celestina draped her boa around his shoulders. When he was done, he forgot to give the boa back and she had to chase after him.

After the show, we resumed exploring. This generally consisted of wandering towards whatever caught our eyes. We spent roughly an hour just ducking in and out of stores and marveling over hidden details. I don't know for sure, but I would estimate we actually took in a fairly small percentage of all there was to see. If I had more time, I probably could have spent hours wandering the streets.

The stores are cozy bordering on cramped. There's not much I like less than being stuck in a crowded store. These were just shy of "good god get me out of here!" On a busier day, I don't know if I could handle them. But there's so much going on that I was able to get over my dislike of tight spaces for a little while. The employees at the store wander around giving demonstrations to us muggles. It's part show and part sales pitch. But I never felt any pressure to buy anything.

One of our "must dos" for the day was to try butterbeer. In the stories, this lightly alcoholic drink is extremely popular with wizards. In the real world, Universal has come up with a non-alcoholic version that has sparked a craze. The base of the drink is very much like a cream soda. It is topped with a butterscotch foam which is insanely sweet. My first sip was pure foam and it just about sent me into a sugar coma. The foam will mix with the already sweet drink, but it's not a bad idea to stir it up a little before diving in.

Butterbeer has proven so popular at Universal that they have added numerous ways to enjoy it. The original choices were cold and frozen. The frozen version has the consistency of a slush. The kids and I each opted for frozen butterbeer while Mindy went with a cold one. The cold butterbeer has the advantage of being easier to drink. With the frozen butterbeer, you ran the risk of getting brain freeze. But it was oh so worth it. I had to force myself to slow down but sometimes my enthusiasm got the better of me and I suffered a sweet chill.

The other two varieties of butterbeer are warm and ice cream. Not a lot to say about these options since we didn't sample them. But I'm definitely interested in that butterbeer ice cream. The flavor seems like it would lend itself well to a rich, creamy dessert.

One final note, we used our snack credits on the Universal dining plan to purchase the butterbeer. If you're on the plan, it's an extremely efficient use of snack credits. Most of the menus in the park have labels letting you know what can and can't be redeemed. But in the Harry Potter sections, the menus don't include these labels because it would detract from the theme. So you kind of just have to know that butterbeer is an option.

While we were sipping our cold drinks, The Tale of Three Brothers puppet show was playing on the same stage where we had watched Celestina and the Banshees a little while ago. The show tells the origin of Voldemort as told in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The puppetry is impressive. There was more of a crowd for this show and we were distracted by our snacks. So I have to admit I wasn't fully engaged. But it was nice to have live entertainment options.

Before we left Diagon Alley, Josie wanted to visit Ollivanders Wand Shop. Wands are the expensive souvenir of choice in Orlando. With the addition of Diagon Alley, the wands got an upgrade. They are now "interactive" which means there are locations scattered about both parks where you can use your wand to trigger a "spell". We saw lots of guests using their wands all over both Harry Potter lands. But with only one day to experience both parks, I didn't want to take up this time-consuming pastime. However, I had prepared myself to shell out for wands in the unlikely event that one of our kids was chosen to participate in the Olivanders show.

You don't just walk into Olivanders. Before you enter, a small group is gathered and lead into a chamber where a wand master gives a demonstration. The wand expert picks a child from the audience and helps them choose their wand. The show is very popular despite being just a few minutes long. Prior to the opening of Diagon Alley, it was not uncommon for there to be long lines just to get into Olivanders. Now that the store has two locations, the waits are more reasonable. We were fortunate enough to walk right in.

As we entered the chamber where the show takes place, I took a quick look around. I came to the realization that I might have to shell out for the expensive trinket after all. Two of the three kids in the audiences were ours. And they were easily the cutest. The wand master clearly agreed with me. She walked right up to Josie and asked her to participate. I could feel Josie tense up a little, so I gave her a nudge and whispered that she should step forward.

Unfortunately, it was too dark for me to record the show on my phone. But the general gist of it is that the wand master asks the participant to try a series of wands. Each time, the spell goes slightly awry. When the final wand is presented, the participant is bathed in a warm glow as various magical effects signal the wand has chosen its owner.

So I was fully prepared to fork out $80 for the wand that had chosen Josie. But to my surprise, she decided she'd rather save her points for something she would use more often. This was really the best possible outcome. We got the fun of the show without the pain of buying an expensive plastic stick. If we go back to Universal for an extended stay, I may be willing to buy a couple of wands for the interactive games in the parks. But for this trip, I was relieved to leave Olivanders empty-handed.

Next: Hogwarts Express and Jurassic Park

I'm loving your TR! THNX for sharing. I know I won't get out of Olivander's empty handed as my boys already have money put aside for wands.

Trip Report Lebeau Family Trip Report 2015: Universal Studios and a Disney Dream Cruise

lebeau

Well-Known Member

FlaggNL

Well-Known Member

12in12

Well-Known Member

blreinsel

Well-Known Member

DisSplash

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

smk

Well-Known Member

Disney-leaf

Well-Known Member

Figgy1

lebeau

Well-Known Member

smk

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

lebeau

Well-Known Member

Figgy1