Well here we go again...
Pre-trip?
I don't know...
Pre-trip?
I don't know...
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Trip Report englanddg's Getting a bit Enthusiastic Escapade...
- Thread starter englanddg
- Start date
Welcome aboard!Late to the party here, but following along!
KBLovedDisney
Well-Known Member
Loving your TR!!! 
Following along!
Following along!
DisSplash
Well-Known Member
We did Universal last year - 5 days!! I am and will always be a Disney girl at heart, but we really enjoyed the Universal experience (with Express Passes of course)! WWoHP was A-MAZING!! Gringotts was awesome and was repeated as many times as we could. My single regret there is NOT dialing MAGIC from the red phone booth outside of Diagon Alley - I completely forgot all about that!!!
But even the other parts of the park had their own charm. Sure, the theming at Universal is not the same as Disney outside of the Harry Potter stuff, but it was still super fun! I loved the Suess area, the ET ride, and MIB, and the Universal Monster Make-up show was pretty funny. My kids were all over the Simpsons stuff too, and my son loved that Rocket coaster.. My primary complaint with Universal were all of the screens - it got exhausting after a while ...
Looking forward to your recap and hearing how your kid's opinion may have changed on the place.
But even the other parts of the park had their own charm. Sure, the theming at Universal is not the same as Disney outside of the Harry Potter stuff, but it was still super fun! I loved the Suess area, the ET ride, and MIB, and the Universal Monster Make-up show was pretty funny. My kids were all over the Simpsons stuff too, and my son loved that Rocket coaster.. My primary complaint with Universal were all of the screens - it got exhausting after a while ...
Looking forward to your recap and hearing how your kid's opinion may have changed on the place.
Day 6 - We Dia-gon to Heaven
(Bad pun is bad, and I should feel bad)
By now you know the pattern! Loop around Hourglass Lake with some coffee!
I really should keep this morning walk thing going when I get back home. It is a nice way to start the day!
Nudged the kiddo awake and headed to the food court for some, er...food.
It seems a Duck that had been hanging out the door the day before agreed, and finally made it in!
He was flying all over the area behind the toasters, literally running into people dining.
Two of us helped corral it, and a third dude was very fast with his hands. Nice catch.
I decided on a Western Omelet for breakfast, and this time I didn't forget the bacon!
It is gorgeous day. Yesterday, the weather report said 60% chance of rain with scattered thunderstorms...but, right now, it looks gorgeous.
The kid was slow moving, as this was a bit earlier than we usually get out, so after eating, she stumbled off to the bathroom and whilst she showered I got our bags ready. I pulled out her wand.
This is Ginny Weasley's wand. It's interactive. Last time we went, Diagon had just opened, and she was happy to get this one, but she really wanted Hermione Granger's wand...but, they were out of the interactive version. So, settled on this one.
I, personally, like this one better...but, that's just me.
Now, I want to take a moment to talk about three comments, critiques I have about the Pop Rooms.
1). I've mentioned in the past that the table is the support for the "Murphy" bed...and, that's ok, but it does mean that when the bed is down, you have limited table space. A fold down table along the far wall, next to the fridge, would be a nice addition. Nothing large, and it could fold flat against the wall, or something....mobile would be even better...again, nothing large needed... maybe 2 feet by 4 feet, with folding legs like those wooden TV tables or something.
Then you could set that up in the window space if you have both beds down and still have some sitting space.
This hasn't really been a major hampering or anything, I just make my bed and put it up as part of my daily routine, but I could see a family of four feeling a bit cramped.
2). I miss the "chest" that they used to have under the coat hangers. This was a great space to corral toys, purchases, gifts, etc.
3). And, where the chest used to be...now holds pillows.
There are a LOT of pillows.
So many pillows.
Two of the ones I use for my bed are on top, the third is left over from my kiddos bed. The others, which were in that corner, I stuffed under the bed this morning just to give them someplace to...live...
But...it's a lot of pillows.
It does mean that every bed has enough for 4 pillows each, so I don't think they should take any away, but if you are used to sleeping with 1 pillow alone (which she and I both are), it means you end up with...well...a lot of pillows, as I said.
When she got out, I did my morning routine and called the Lyft, and we were off!
The ride was $17, and took about 25 minutes. Soon we were taking the escalator up to the entry way to City Walk!
I am told that is the "Hurry UP DAD!" face...
(Bad pun is bad, and I should feel bad)
By now you know the pattern! Loop around Hourglass Lake with some coffee!
I really should keep this morning walk thing going when I get back home. It is a nice way to start the day!
Nudged the kiddo awake and headed to the food court for some, er...food.
It seems a Duck that had been hanging out the door the day before agreed, and finally made it in!
He was flying all over the area behind the toasters, literally running into people dining.
Two of us helped corral it, and a third dude was very fast with his hands. Nice catch.
I decided on a Western Omelet for breakfast, and this time I didn't forget the bacon!
It is gorgeous day. Yesterday, the weather report said 60% chance of rain with scattered thunderstorms...but, right now, it looks gorgeous.
The kid was slow moving, as this was a bit earlier than we usually get out, so after eating, she stumbled off to the bathroom and whilst she showered I got our bags ready. I pulled out her wand.
This is Ginny Weasley's wand. It's interactive. Last time we went, Diagon had just opened, and she was happy to get this one, but she really wanted Hermione Granger's wand...but, they were out of the interactive version. So, settled on this one.
I, personally, like this one better...but, that's just me.
Now, I want to take a moment to talk about three comments, critiques I have about the Pop Rooms.
1). I've mentioned in the past that the table is the support for the "Murphy" bed...and, that's ok, but it does mean that when the bed is down, you have limited table space. A fold down table along the far wall, next to the fridge, would be a nice addition. Nothing large, and it could fold flat against the wall, or something....mobile would be even better...again, nothing large needed... maybe 2 feet by 4 feet, with folding legs like those wooden TV tables or something.
Then you could set that up in the window space if you have both beds down and still have some sitting space.
This hasn't really been a major hampering or anything, I just make my bed and put it up as part of my daily routine, but I could see a family of four feeling a bit cramped.
2). I miss the "chest" that they used to have under the coat hangers. This was a great space to corral toys, purchases, gifts, etc.
3). And, where the chest used to be...now holds pillows.
There are a LOT of pillows.
So many pillows.
Two of the ones I use for my bed are on top, the third is left over from my kiddos bed. The others, which were in that corner, I stuffed under the bed this morning just to give them someplace to...live...
But...it's a lot of pillows.
It does mean that every bed has enough for 4 pillows each, so I don't think they should take any away, but if you are used to sleeping with 1 pillow alone (which she and I both are), it means you end up with...well...a lot of pillows, as I said.
When she got out, I did my morning routine and called the Lyft, and we were off!
The ride was $17, and took about 25 minutes. Soon we were taking the escalator up to the entry way to City Walk!
I am told that is the "Hurry UP DAD!" face...
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Every time we have done Universal, we have stayed on property. So, in all our visits, we actually have never seen this part of the resort complex.
Or City Walk, outside of the shore area.
The kiddo spotted Voodoo Doughnuts, and mentioned she wants to stop there. Wanna stop now?
No. Harry Potter!!!
Ok...
I made a mental note though, tomorrow, we will stop by for a second breakfast, I think!
As we walked in I found. It amusing to see Universal taking advantage of the recent Disney/Marvel movies. In this case, Black Panther.
This shared IP here in Orlando really creates some strange combinations.
Now, Disney sells these little fan/squirt bottles, and so does Universal. If you have a choice, choose Universals!
The kid owns both, and brought neither...
Now that I am at Universal...I suppose I should download the app!
So, kiddo? Which will it be first? Universal and Diagon?
Nope...Popeyes!
I wanna get soaked!
Ok! So we hoofed it over to Islands!
The kiddo was pretty interested in this... maybe tomorrow?
We reminisced about dancing in the mist here for our 2012 video.
And soon we were at the ticketing line.
A ticket line!
I hadn’t truly appreciated Magicbands...until now...
This line was a mess!
Or City Walk, outside of the shore area.
The kiddo spotted Voodoo Doughnuts, and mentioned she wants to stop there. Wanna stop now?
No. Harry Potter!!!
Ok...
I made a mental note though, tomorrow, we will stop by for a second breakfast, I think!
As we walked in I found. It amusing to see Universal taking advantage of the recent Disney/Marvel movies. In this case, Black Panther.
This shared IP here in Orlando really creates some strange combinations.
Now, Disney sells these little fan/squirt bottles, and so does Universal. If you have a choice, choose Universals!
The kid owns both, and brought neither...
Now that I am at Universal...I suppose I should download the app!
So, kiddo? Which will it be first? Universal and Diagon?
Nope...Popeyes!
I wanna get soaked!
Ok! So we hoofed it over to Islands!
The kiddo was pretty interested in this... maybe tomorrow?
We reminisced about dancing in the mist here for our 2012 video.
And soon we were at the ticketing line.
A ticket line!
I hadn’t truly appreciated Magicbands...until now...
This line was a mess!
So, part of the reason it was so bad isn’t how crowded it was, but that a lot of people seemed to have purchased tickets online and printed them out.
And, then they printed them, the printout bar codes wouldn’t scan. Further complicating matters is that it appears the printouts are linked to individuals (our stickers are as well, so that makes sense), and as a result, you had families shuffling papers around and digging into their bags, all trying to find their tickets.
It was...a mess.
And, it made me a bit nervous, because I didn’t print our tickets out. All I had was the pdf they emailed me, off on my phone.
But, we sailed through. They scanned mine, and then my finger. Then I scrolled down the pdf to her ticket, and they scanned the kiddos. And her finger.
Easy!
I popped open the app to get a feel for if we needed to consider adding the Express Passes.
What!?!
So, I asked the kid if she remembered which way Popeyes was.
She did! Queen know deh wey!
(Klick klick klick)
As we entered Seuper Hero Island, a familiar stop showed up. I am not sure the name of the venue, but every trip she wants to stop here and get popcorn or a soda.
This year it was soda.
I paid for the “refillable mug”. $18 for the first day, and “renewable” for $8 (or so) the next day. Crunching numbers, if she or I want 8 sodas or other drinks in the next 2 days, it pays for itself.
They have positioned Freestyle machines around the place for you to use.
Pretty cool! I wish Disney would do something like this with the hotel mugs...
So, we continued to Popeyes!
Spidey had a short wait, so I asked her if she wanted to go.
NO!
We are GETTING SOAKED!!!
Ok kiddo.
Nice cycles...
Characters were out doing meet and greets. Uni still does them in a less structured fashion than Disney.
We rounded the corner and saw Captain America!
And my kid got a bit..giddy.
So, you can’t share this, and I never shared this, but I learned something just then.
My kid has a crush on...the actor who plays Captain America.
“He doesn’t even look like him, he is so strong and cute! Not like that guy, come on Universal!!”
Oh my...oh my...
And, then they printed them, the printout bar codes wouldn’t scan. Further complicating matters is that it appears the printouts are linked to individuals (our stickers are as well, so that makes sense), and as a result, you had families shuffling papers around and digging into their bags, all trying to find their tickets.
It was...a mess.
And, it made me a bit nervous, because I didn’t print our tickets out. All I had was the pdf they emailed me, off on my phone.
But, we sailed through. They scanned mine, and then my finger. Then I scrolled down the pdf to her ticket, and they scanned the kiddos. And her finger.
Easy!
I popped open the app to get a feel for if we needed to consider adding the Express Passes.
What!?!
So, I asked the kid if she remembered which way Popeyes was.
She did! Queen know deh wey!
(Klick klick klick)
As we entered Seuper Hero Island, a familiar stop showed up. I am not sure the name of the venue, but every trip she wants to stop here and get popcorn or a soda.
This year it was soda.
I paid for the “refillable mug”. $18 for the first day, and “renewable” for $8 (or so) the next day. Crunching numbers, if she or I want 8 sodas or other drinks in the next 2 days, it pays for itself.
They have positioned Freestyle machines around the place for you to use.
Pretty cool! I wish Disney would do something like this with the hotel mugs...
So, we continued to Popeyes!
Spidey had a short wait, so I asked her if she wanted to go.
NO!
We are GETTING SOAKED!!!
Ok kiddo.
Nice cycles...
Characters were out doing meet and greets. Uni still does them in a less structured fashion than Disney.
We rounded the corner and saw Captain America!
And my kid got a bit..giddy.
So, you can’t share this, and I never shared this, but I learned something just then.
My kid has a crush on...the actor who plays Captain America.
“He doesn’t even look like him, he is so strong and cute! Not like that guy, come on Universal!!”
Oh my...oh my...
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Ariel1986
Well-Known Member
They actually do in a few resorts now! At Caribbean they have them in every "island". Very handy rather than having to trek to the food court! And more options! I don't know if it's due to the refurb at Caribbean that they're there but I can't see them taking them away. They also have them at Yacht & Beach Club but in the food courts. Not as handy as around the resort but still nicer than the basic drink refill machines!
As we walked, she had all sorts of memories pop up. Due to Rip Saw, she loves this area.
"Look Dad, remember when we ate there?"
I do. We had the Universal Dining Plan. Something that is...not even on par with the Disney Quick Service plan in terms of quality, but it really wants to be like it.
She desperately wanted me to take this picture....I'm not sure why, the irony would be better with her!
We headed over to Popeyes, and the wait was...5 minutes? What the heck?
And, yes. We got soaked. I had expected this, so we had brought along one of the extra shopping bags from Disney to wrap our bags in. Unlike Kali, Popeye's doesn't play games with the water! They literally dump it on you at several points within the ride.
Excellent!
As we left, I spotted one of the People Dryers. Neat concept, $5 (if I recall correctly)...yeah, we will pass. The kiddo, thankfully, didn't notice.
I asked if she wanted to go to the water guns and shoot the passing guests, but she said no. See, a kid in line had been telling us how great Kong was...and she was curious!
So, off we went! As we passed, she asked why this restaurant was named "Blondie's". It's pretty strange, really...when I think about it. I am very late Gen X, maybe early Millennial (depends on who you ask), and there are some things that my generation can chalk up as being the "last" to experience.
It hadn't occurred to me, but Sunday Comics being a "thing" is one of them. I explained who Blondie is, and Dagwood (and pointed him out), and explained the running gag of the Dagwood Sandwich.
She...nodded, but I could tell she didn't really understand why this was such a big deal.
On our way was Rip Saw! She immediately remembered this ride, and I offered to side step here, but she declined.
Kong!
We also could see the Pteranodon (Terodactyl, she swears...but, pretty sure it's Pteranodon) Flyers. She wanted to go. I told her we would check it out, but I think...I think....we can't go on it anymore, because to ride it you need a child UNDER a certain height.
I was pretty sure our last trip to Uni was the last trip we could try this out. But, we'll check again!
Kong had a wait of....20 minutes. Insane. We basically walked into the queue, and kept walking...and kept walking...until we met Grizelda here!
"Look Dad, remember when we ate there?"
I do. We had the Universal Dining Plan. Something that is...not even on par with the Disney Quick Service plan in terms of quality, but it really wants to be like it.
She desperately wanted me to take this picture....I'm not sure why, the irony would be better with her!
We headed over to Popeyes, and the wait was...5 minutes? What the heck?
And, yes. We got soaked. I had expected this, so we had brought along one of the extra shopping bags from Disney to wrap our bags in. Unlike Kali, Popeye's doesn't play games with the water! They literally dump it on you at several points within the ride.
Excellent!
As we left, I spotted one of the People Dryers. Neat concept, $5 (if I recall correctly)...yeah, we will pass. The kiddo, thankfully, didn't notice.
I asked if she wanted to go to the water guns and shoot the passing guests, but she said no. See, a kid in line had been telling us how great Kong was...and she was curious!
So, off we went! As we passed, she asked why this restaurant was named "Blondie's". It's pretty strange, really...when I think about it. I am very late Gen X, maybe early Millennial (depends on who you ask), and there are some things that my generation can chalk up as being the "last" to experience.
It hadn't occurred to me, but Sunday Comics being a "thing" is one of them. I explained who Blondie is, and Dagwood (and pointed him out), and explained the running gag of the Dagwood Sandwich.
She...nodded, but I could tell she didn't really understand why this was such a big deal.
On our way was Rip Saw! She immediately remembered this ride, and I offered to side step here, but she declined.
Kong!
We also could see the Pteranodon (Terodactyl, she swears...but, pretty sure it's Pteranodon) Flyers. She wanted to go. I told her we would check it out, but I think...I think....we can't go on it anymore, because to ride it you need a child UNDER a certain height.
I was pretty sure our last trip to Uni was the last trip we could try this out. But, we'll check again!
Kong had a wait of....20 minutes. Insane. We basically walked into the queue, and kept walking...and kept walking...until we met Grizelda here!
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We watched her little show... it is, very Tenple of Doom feeling. This queue is DARK!
And, we continued on.
There is this point in the queue that is really dark and winding, and has sacrificed corpses on the wall. Something was popping out here and scaring guests.
It didnt hit us, but we saw it...several times. The kiddo embraced me and was genuinely creeped out here.
This sparked a conversation about the Universal Halloween Party, and she indicated she really wanted to see that!
I had avoided it in the past because it is rather...adult. More on the scare side of things than the party side. But...she is getting older!
So, not this trip (we missed it this week, it was on Wednesday), but maybe next year!
Soon we were in the final queue! And it was here that the real “line” started. Insane...
I mentioned these looked like the worms from Arrakis. The kiddo (having recently read Dune, she is now on Children of Dune...I know because she has a kindle, and it is attached to my account, so I see the books she buys) agreed.
The ride was totally new to us, as they were building it last time we came. It is mostly a 3D thing. No surprise there. But, even though Universal relies a lot on screens in their rides, the way they do them is vastly different.
It works better, imho. The 360 view concept, and the perspective view are amazing.
For example, during the canyon scene, if you lean right and left, you can see the canyon in the distance reacting to your view.
I have...no idea how they do that. But it is cool!
After that she wanted to get soaked again. Ok...Jurassic is just around the corner!
But...it was closed due to an incoming storm threat. So, trapped behind a large tour group who was likewise disappointed, we trudged on.
We have eaten here too, the kiddo pointed out. “They should make that a ride...”
Agreed...they should.
Until we came to the jewel of our day. Harry Potter!
The wait was...25 minutes.
What is going on with these queues!?!?
We made it all the way to the statues and still no wait!
And, we continued on.
There is this point in the queue that is really dark and winding, and has sacrificed corpses on the wall. Something was popping out here and scaring guests.
It didnt hit us, but we saw it...several times. The kiddo embraced me and was genuinely creeped out here.
This sparked a conversation about the Universal Halloween Party, and she indicated she really wanted to see that!
I had avoided it in the past because it is rather...adult. More on the scare side of things than the party side. But...she is getting older!
So, not this trip (we missed it this week, it was on Wednesday), but maybe next year!
Soon we were in the final queue! And it was here that the real “line” started. Insane...
I mentioned these looked like the worms from Arrakis. The kiddo (having recently read Dune, she is now on Children of Dune...I know because she has a kindle, and it is attached to my account, so I see the books she buys) agreed.
The ride was totally new to us, as they were building it last time we came. It is mostly a 3D thing. No surprise there. But, even though Universal relies a lot on screens in their rides, the way they do them is vastly different.
It works better, imho. The 360 view concept, and the perspective view are amazing.
For example, during the canyon scene, if you lean right and left, you can see the canyon in the distance reacting to your view.
I have...no idea how they do that. But it is cool!
After that she wanted to get soaked again. Ok...Jurassic is just around the corner!
But...it was closed due to an incoming storm threat. So, trapped behind a large tour group who was likewise disappointed, we trudged on.
We have eaten here too, the kiddo pointed out. “They should make that a ride...”
Agreed...they should.
Until we came to the jewel of our day. Harry Potter!
The wait was...25 minutes.
What is going on with these queues!?!?
We made it all the way to the statues and still no wait!
The queue is still amazing. Certainly part of the ride!
Still no line by the Portrait Room! We stopped and allowed people to pass just so we could watch the paintings interact.
The kid thinks this should be automated to go up and down...she's probably right.
In Dumbledore's office, the kiddo asked why there is no water in the bowl....she's right! Actually, they could do something cool with this, when you think about it...but, it's just a stainless steel bowl.
It is worth noting at a lot of the queue experience is....rather new for us. See, every time we have gone to Universal in the past, I have booked a resort there. So, we had the "unlimited Express Pass" as part of the experience, and we took it. Especially for rides like this. Little did we know we were actually missing out on a few things!
When we got to the sorting hat, the kiddo said she is Gryffindor. She doesn't understand why I prefer Hufflepuff...
Guess I'm strange...
The ride was amazing, as always. Though, not nearly as rough as I remember it being in the past. The kid was mockingly upset that she was "at the center" of attention for the Spider and the Dementors.
We love this ride.
As we wandered into Hogsmeade, they had a show with an acapella group and the toads. We stopped to watch for a while. Very neat!
But, we had a train to catch!
"Dad, why do you keep taking pictures!"
Because...because...
Some construction is happening back behind Hogwarts. I wonder what they are building? (I genuinely have stayed away from Park news, and really don't know...)
They had the same sort of backup here that the front gate had. Those printed paper passes just don't seem to work...ever...
The kid facetimed her Mom, and she "joined" us for the walk to the Hogwarts Express. Yeah, no wait...just a walk.
Insane...
Still no line by the Portrait Room! We stopped and allowed people to pass just so we could watch the paintings interact.
The kid thinks this should be automated to go up and down...she's probably right.
In Dumbledore's office, the kiddo asked why there is no water in the bowl....she's right! Actually, they could do something cool with this, when you think about it...but, it's just a stainless steel bowl.
It is worth noting at a lot of the queue experience is....rather new for us. See, every time we have gone to Universal in the past, I have booked a resort there. So, we had the "unlimited Express Pass" as part of the experience, and we took it. Especially for rides like this. Little did we know we were actually missing out on a few things!
When we got to the sorting hat, the kiddo said she is Gryffindor. She doesn't understand why I prefer Hufflepuff...
Guess I'm strange...
The ride was amazing, as always. Though, not nearly as rough as I remember it being in the past. The kid was mockingly upset that she was "at the center" of attention for the Spider and the Dementors.
We love this ride.
As we wandered into Hogsmeade, they had a show with an acapella group and the toads. We stopped to watch for a while. Very neat!
But, we had a train to catch!
"Dad, why do you keep taking pictures!"
Because...because...
Some construction is happening back behind Hogwarts. I wonder what they are building? (I genuinely have stayed away from Park news, and really don't know...)
They had the same sort of backup here that the front gate had. Those printed paper passes just don't seem to work...ever...
The kid facetimed her Mom, and she "joined" us for the walk to the Hogwarts Express. Yeah, no wait...just a walk.
Insane...
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Soon we were in London! But, not before a pack of Dementors tried to attack.
Dark times are upon us...says the kiddo. Dark times indeed!
Again, the place is rather empty. Very strange. They all must know that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned!
Time to pull out the wand again. But, the kiddo informed me...
"No. That's Ginny's wand!" Looks like we are headed to Olivanders!
As we left we spotted this lone Violin player. The kiddo tried violin (her mother plays that), but prefers Cello. She wanted to stop and watch, so we did.
It appears the Night Bus made it past the Death Eaters. Whew!
We had a bit of trouble finding the entrance. Or, at least I did. The kiddo, being "magical", knew exactly where to go. It's really interesting to see what she does and doesn't remember from previous trips. It seems, when it comes to Diagon, she remembers quite a lot!
She brought us straight there!
We entered the shop, and started to look around, but a fellow Guest informed us that the "entrance is next door".
I...don't remember that, but ok. So, we went next door.
Dark times are upon us...says the kiddo. Dark times indeed!
Again, the place is rather empty. Very strange. They all must know that He Who Must Not Be Named has returned!
Time to pull out the wand again. But, the kiddo informed me...
"No. That's Ginny's wand!" Looks like we are headed to Olivanders!
As we left we spotted this lone Violin player. The kiddo tried violin (her mother plays that), but prefers Cello. She wanted to stop and watch, so we did.
It appears the Night Bus made it past the Death Eaters. Whew!
We had a bit of trouble finding the entrance. Or, at least I did. The kiddo, being "magical", knew exactly where to go. It's really interesting to see what she does and doesn't remember from previous trips. It seems, when it comes to Diagon, she remembers quite a lot!
She brought us straight there!
We entered the shop, and started to look around, but a fellow Guest informed us that the "entrance is next door".
I...don't remember that, but ok. So, we went next door.
Her Mom was still on Facetime, and thought this scene was very interesting.
And, soon we were being informed that our wand selection was about to begin!
Ok, I remmeber this place. We skipped it last time because the lines were insane. This is the wand show!
The presentation was really well done. Not quite what I expected...but, I'm not sure what I expected. The actress was on point with her mannerisms. And, quite amusing to boot!
"She's just like the movie!", said the kiddo.
After that, it was time to go choose our wands!
This time they had Hermione, in the interactive version. The kiddo was thrilled...off in a world of her own facetiming with her mother and her little sister.
We wandered across the street to choose some wizardly outfits to match our wands! She wandered around the place, taking it all in. I've not seen her this excited in a very long time.
And we had fun trying on strange hats!
“I’m Dumbledore!”
“I’m the groundskeeper!” (Neither one of us could remember his name...Finch?”
And, soon we were being informed that our wand selection was about to begin!
Ok, I remmeber this place. We skipped it last time because the lines were insane. This is the wand show!
The presentation was really well done. Not quite what I expected...but, I'm not sure what I expected. The actress was on point with her mannerisms. And, quite amusing to boot!
"She's just like the movie!", said the kiddo.
After that, it was time to go choose our wands!
This time they had Hermione, in the interactive version. The kiddo was thrilled...off in a world of her own facetiming with her mother and her little sister.
We wandered across the street to choose some wizardly outfits to match our wands! She wandered around the place, taking it all in. I've not seen her this excited in a very long time.
And we had fun trying on strange hats!
“I’m Dumbledore!”
“I’m the groundskeeper!” (Neither one of us could remember his name...Finch?”
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We got a complete outfit. It took me quite a while to find the ties, but I managed! They were hidden in a small display near the front door! The kiddo plans to use this for Halloween. The real one, that is...not Disney’s early definition!
We had the items shipped to the front of the Park. Universal does similar to Disney in this respect. If you are staying on site, you can have it shipped to your hotel, or if you are not, to the front of the Park.
I did mention to the kid, who had fallen in love with her Robe, that if she wore that the rest of the day, we would need to avoid water rides. I had brought a plastic bag, but as she wore her Figment jacket here, our bags will full already!
The cashier chimes in, oh no! I was mistaken!
If she wanted to wear her robe, but later wanted to take it off, they could ship it to the front of the Park, as long as it was earlier than 3 hours before Park closing. Just stop by any store on property and present our receipt, and they would take care of us.
Neat!
The cashier also tossed in a free Invisibility Cloak. (I will share a picture of that later)
Very cool! I like freebies!
Back into the winding alleys of Diagon! The kiddo zipping around playing with her new, 100% authentic reproduction Hermione wand, and making magical things happen.
But, the dragon had caught her attention. It was time to visit the Goblins!
As we approached, the kiddo noted that “No wonder he is so grumpy, they have been abusing him!”
A quick stop by the...packed and chaotic...lockers, and we were on our way!
Ok, these waits are just insane. Where is everyone?
We had the items shipped to the front of the Park. Universal does similar to Disney in this respect. If you are staying on site, you can have it shipped to your hotel, or if you are not, to the front of the Park.
I did mention to the kid, who had fallen in love with her Robe, that if she wore that the rest of the day, we would need to avoid water rides. I had brought a plastic bag, but as she wore her Figment jacket here, our bags will full already!
The cashier chimes in, oh no! I was mistaken!
If she wanted to wear her robe, but later wanted to take it off, they could ship it to the front of the Park, as long as it was earlier than 3 hours before Park closing. Just stop by any store on property and present our receipt, and they would take care of us.
Neat!
The cashier also tossed in a free Invisibility Cloak. (I will share a picture of that later)
Very cool! I like freebies!
Back into the winding alleys of Diagon! The kiddo zipping around playing with her new, 100% authentic reproduction Hermione wand, and making magical things happen.
But, the dragon had caught her attention. It was time to visit the Goblins!
As we approached, the kiddo noted that “No wonder he is so grumpy, they have been abusing him!”
A quick stop by the...packed and chaotic...lockers, and we were on our way!
Ok, these waits are just insane. Where is everyone?
PacNWTigger
Well-Known Member
I think the caretaker's name is Filch. I'm loving all of your pics, and the fact that you guys are having such low wait times!!
What do I mean?
Take a look...
We were on in about 20 minutes. Last time we had Express Pass, and I swear we waited longer than that.
Given all this, I am really glad I held off on the passes for this trip. They would have been a waste of money!
After the ride we looked at our pictures, but decided not to. It is still neat. You go to the kiosk.
Scan your card they give you during “security check”.
And up come your pictures!
Not as cool as Magicbands...but still a neat execution of the ride picture concept. I liked how they integrated it into the queue.
We then went to the moneychangers after this. We had seen it last time, but skipped it due to lines.
It is a pretty cool concept. Trade real money for Wizard money.
We may come back and pick some up as souvaniers later.
Take a look...
We were on in about 20 minutes. Last time we had Express Pass, and I swear we waited longer than that.
Given all this, I am really glad I held off on the passes for this trip. They would have been a waste of money!
After the ride we looked at our pictures, but decided not to. It is still neat. You go to the kiosk.
Scan your card they give you during “security check”.
And up come your pictures!
Not as cool as Magicbands...but still a neat execution of the ride picture concept. I liked how they integrated it into the queue.
We then went to the moneychangers after this. We had seen it last time, but skipped it due to lines.
It is a pretty cool concept. Trade real money for Wizard money.
We may come back and pick some up as souvaniers later.
MinnieM123
Premium Member
Great photos at Universal!! (I went there maybe 20ish? years ago -- it's very different now!)
I'm intrigued by you DD wearing headphones every day on the trip. What music does she enjoy listening to?
I'm intrigued by you DD wearing headphones every day on the trip. What music does she enjoy listening to?
We wandered around a bit, but the kiddo, very much looking the part, wanted to explore her map some more.
But I was peckish, so I grabbed a seat, made sure she had her phone, and let her off the leash.
I ended up getting the Fire Whiskey, double shot on ice (which is basically a fireball shot), a Butterbeer (not frozen, neither the kid nor I really cared for it frozen), and some Beef Pasties!
Tasty! The perfect compliment to the Butterbeer!
But, there was a problem.
My card had declined! How embarrassing. I used my other card so I wouldn’t be “that guy” in line (hey, what do you mean you won’t take this personal check I write out on the back of a napkin!?”...and proceeded to call my bank.
The kid came back, and whilst I dealt with the bank on my EarPods, she watched what appeared to me to be a pretty entertaining stage show!
Well, turns out the bank had flagged my card for potential fraud because I hadn’t informed them I was traveling.
It was pretty amusing, on the phone, because they could easily hear Harry Potter stuff in the background.
They took care of it fairly quickly, and I apologized for not informing them. They make it pretty easy, you can even do it on the app. It just slipped my mind.
From there we went off to look for sweets!
She decided she wanted a chocolate wand (not a frog? Ok...), so we picked one up. I eyeballed a Pumpkin Pasty, but not right now...that probably would be great with some coffee later though!
This particular treat, I noted, is actually mentioned by Ron on the Hogwarts Express (Ride)...neat they included it!
She had her fill of Harry Potter (for now), and we decided to head back to the Muggle
World.
And, the driver was out, so the Night Bus may be making a trip soon too!
I checked the ride times on the app, MIB was 10 minutes?
Ok! We were off!
But I was peckish, so I grabbed a seat, made sure she had her phone, and let her off the leash.
I ended up getting the Fire Whiskey, double shot on ice (which is basically a fireball shot), a Butterbeer (not frozen, neither the kid nor I really cared for it frozen), and some Beef Pasties!
Tasty! The perfect compliment to the Butterbeer!
But, there was a problem.
My card had declined! How embarrassing. I used my other card so I wouldn’t be “that guy” in line (hey, what do you mean you won’t take this personal check I write out on the back of a napkin!?”...and proceeded to call my bank.
The kid came back, and whilst I dealt with the bank on my EarPods, she watched what appeared to me to be a pretty entertaining stage show!
Well, turns out the bank had flagged my card for potential fraud because I hadn’t informed them I was traveling.
It was pretty amusing, on the phone, because they could easily hear Harry Potter stuff in the background.
They took care of it fairly quickly, and I apologized for not informing them. They make it pretty easy, you can even do it on the app. It just slipped my mind.
From there we went off to look for sweets!
She decided she wanted a chocolate wand (not a frog? Ok...), so we picked one up. I eyeballed a Pumpkin Pasty, but not right now...that probably would be great with some coffee later though!
This particular treat, I noted, is actually mentioned by Ron on the Hogwarts Express (Ride)...neat they included it!
She had her fill of Harry Potter (for now), and we decided to head back to the Muggle
World.
And, the driver was out, so the Night Bus may be making a trip soon too!
I checked the ride times on the app, MIB was 10 minutes?
Ok! We were off!
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She adores those headphones. They are Bose QC35s. They were a Christmas present two years ago from me.Great photos at Universal!! (I went there maybe 20ish? years ago -- it's very different now!)
I'm intrigued by you DD wearing headphones every day on the trip. What music does she enjoy listening to?
She listens too all sorts of stuff on Pandora. This week she has been listening to whatever comes on Radio Disney...
She likes hip hop and pop, mostly.