On day two of our trip we headed to Universal Studios Florida. We still had the rental car and it was just a 20 minute drive where we found some reasonably priced parking at $22.00 per day with the option for preferred parking at $35.00. We opted for $22.00. There were plenty of moving sidewalks for the 10 minute walk to the front gate. Security at these places now includes bag checks as well as metal detectors and finger print checks. Gone are the days of just showing your paper ticket and walking in the front gate.
Our plan was to meet up with Callie's school friend at the Harry Potter area. Carter and I made a few stops for pictures with various Simpsons characters along the way. Carter doesn't even know who they are but who wouldn't want a picture with a friendly cop eating a doughnut. Kerry was leading the way until we discovered she was looking at a map for the other park. That's like trying to find Paris with a map of England. She was moving more by feel anyways as we knew Harry Potter was at the back of the park so no harm done.
We found Diagon alley which was done perfectly in the spirit of the books. It wasn't marked and you had to go through a break in a brick wall that opened up to an area that perfectly matched what you would expect for Harry Potter. We had to wait a bit before meeting our group as they had arrived a few minutes before us and were already on one of the rides. This gave us a chance to explore a bit and we quickly realized that Universal Studios seems to be more about merchandise than rides. There was only one ride and about a dozen stores. Still fun to explore.
After we found everyone and they went on the Gringots ride one more time while the line was short it was time for selecting a wand or in Harry Potter world, where the wand chooses you. There is a 5 minute play and Callie's friend got chosen to star. The merchant got very into the scene and the room has several effects including lights, sound and shelves that react poorly when you cast the wrong spell to find your wand. Callie choose the 'non interactive' wand which was still $46. I think it probably costs about $2 per wand to make based on the volume they are selling.
Wand choosing was incredibly chaotic and if you go I recommend you see the play and then go around the corner where you can just pick the wand you want and buy it. The actual wand store is more mysterious with lot's of box opening and closing. It was good to get that finished so we could try the other highlight of the day. Butter Beer which figures quite prominently in the books. I would characterize it as a caramel flavoured cream soda that has been coloured yellow and even comes with a foam top. Probably terrible for you but still very tasty.
Three 12 year old's don't make decisions quickly so Carter and I took one of these moments to go check out the Transformer's ride. This is where I realized that I am not a fan of the style of Universal Studio rides. They tend to be 4D where there is a 3D screen and a car that you ride that shakes you around. I don't do well with this style ride and have to spend most of the time with my eyes closed to avoid getting too dizzy. The ride doesn't move much but the addition of the screens is too much. They still seem like fun rides for those moments I do open my eyes.
Transformers was a sign of things to come as every major ride seemed to be 4D. Kerry and the kids had a great time on Jimmy Fallon Race Through New York and The Mummy. By the time the Mummy came along, I figured I could stay outside with my eyes closed which worked out better for everyone since Universal asks that you keep your bags off the ride which means a lot of time putting things in lockers. We also did the Shrek ride which is a theater show with seats that bounce up and down and water gets sprinkled on you to match the scene.
At this point it was time for us to split up. We had paid for the park hopper pass where Callie's friend only had a ticket for a single park and was planning on coming back for the other park. This meant she couldn't join us on the Hogwarts Express which travels between the two parks. The train leaves from the 9 3/4 platform and you even get to walk through a wall. Everything looked great but it was a bit anti-climactic as when you are on the train you are just viewing a screen for the window. There are shadows moving in the hallway but everything is over pretty quick.
The second portion of Harry Potter land was just as amazing as the first but this time was focused on the out doors. There is a perfect replica of Hogwarts that houses the Forbidden Journey ride. The estimate for the right wait time was somewhat deceiving and we had to stuff everything in a locker again but the ride itself was worth it. I got to see about half of it since it had some real portions in addition to the 3D screens where I kept my eyes closed. The kids and Kerry went on the Hippogrifth ride to finish off our Harry Potter experience.
The second park had areas like Hero Island and some bigger coasters like The Hulk. This ride was way to much for Callie, Carter, and I, but Kerry had it on her list of rides she wants to do. The wait was longer than anticipated which of course adds to the drama and she confirmed it was not a ride we would want to go on. We finished the day on the Jurassic park ride since it is a water ride and it was too cold to walk around wet. After a quick desert we walked back to our vehicle at the end of a 12 hour day. Universal Studios is definitely for older kids and people not as ride wimpy as me. You'd need at least a full day per park to do everything.
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