Universal Resort Orlando, FL - Day 4

Greetings, from a Ukrainian Ironbelly

We skipped going to the park an hour early this morning, because we had reservations for breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. We ordered the same breakfast as yesterday because I was determined to taste black pudding and Ali was determined to not. We also ordered pumpkin juice and hot butter beer. Hot butter beer is delicious; it’s similar to white hot chocolate, but when they put that foamy goodness on top, it becomes heavenly. Hot butter beer is one of those drinks that reminds you of Christmas and makes you wish you were drinking it in front of a fireplace with a blanket and a book. Instead, we drank it in sweltering heat—the kind that gives people perpetual sweat mustaches.

As we ate our eggs and croissants, I kept looking at the black tube on my plate trying to convince myself to taste it. I knew if I smelled it, there was no way it'd go in my mouth. So I just went for it and took a bite. Not a big bite, of course, but just enough to realize that I had made an enormous mistake. In that single bite, I understood how black pudding is made. Here is the recipe (I’m pretty sure): First, pour pork blood and oatmeal into a blender and puree it. Make the consistency similar to that of wet sticky rice. Add some kind of spice. At this point, it doesn’t matter what spice it is. Boil the mixture until it turns black and has a sweet, pungent odor. Squeeze the “pudding” into some type of casing comparable to a condom. Slice it into two-inch segments, and you’re ready to enjoy the delicacy like a true Brit.

Needless to say, I was only able to swallow my bite by washing it down with pumpkin juice. While my mouth experienced a deluge of pre-barf salivation, I tried to get Ali to take a bite. She refused.

Ali, walking through the wall to get to Platform 9 3/4

We spent the rest of the morning meandering, taking pictures and videos of everything we saw, and Ali cast spells (fun fact: I quickly learned that “doing wand tricks” is NOT the correct terminology). When Ali was ready to leave, we boarded the Hogwarts Express back to Hogsmeade. Ali wanted to go on The Forbbiden Journey for the fourth time, but I wanted to ride Dragon Challenge. Since Ali has no interest in roller coasters that aren't at Disneyland, I was on my own. She liked walking through the village by herself with her wand and camera, and I got to be that single rider that makes a group of three slightly uncomfortable.

Two "dragons" (roller coasters) make up Dragon Challenge: The Chinese Fireball (red) and the Hungarian Horntail (blue). I was on the Hungarian Horntail and I had no idea what the ride entailed. Dragon Challenge is an inverted roller coaster, which means the track is above the riders and their legs dangle in the air. As we made the 125-foot climb, I eagerly awaited what was to come. What that was, however, I’m not totally sure. I do know there were so many zero gravity rolls, corkscrews, and cobra rolls at speeds up to 55 mph, that I was completely disoriented. The ride was thrilling, and I wished Ali had been with me so badly. When we got off the ride, no one was able to walk straight. A few guys were leaning over with their hands on their knees, not from being sick, but because the ride so overstimulates the body that it takes a while feel normal again. I felt like I had just been shot into space without my trusty astronaut suit.

Ali met me at our designated spot and we left Hogsmeade and entered Jurassic Park. The two islands are located next to each other and crossing a bridge from Hogsmeade to enter the giant gates of Jurassic Park is a surreal experience. From the pine trees of the wizarding world (they might be fir they might be spruce—I’m not a dendrologist, you know. And yes, I looked that up), to palm trees and other tropical plants with giant waxy leaves, guests are instantly transported and it’s a shock to the senses.

Welcome to Jurassic Hogwarts

We strolled through the park for a while before going on the Jurassic Park River Adventure. We boarded a yellow raft and floated along a river lined with tropical forests. As the raft approached huge wooden gates, a man’s voice boomed over the speakers: “Time, the ever flowing river. Come with us now, to a time before man, when the river flowed through a newborn world, and giants walked the earth. Welcome to Jurassic Park.” The gates swung open as the infamous John Williams soundtrack welcomed us. We passed by dinosaurs, (who were in need of an animatronic make-over) and then, the boat took a wrong turn and alarms blared as we entered the Environmental Systems Building. Dangerous dinosaurs were on the loose and they screamed at us and spit water in our faces (some of them were broken and I was embarrassed for Universal Stuidos). At the end of the ride, a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex loomed roaring over our boat, and just as he was about to eat us all, we plunged down an 85-foot waterfall. We got thoroughly drenched. The filthy water felt refreshing for a while, but even with the dousing, we were just too hot so we left the park.

That T-Rex didn't stand a chance

It was bizarre passing by so many people wearing heavy, ankle-length, 100% polyester wizard robes. Ali and I were in shorts and t-shirts and could hardly stand the heat. We were both exhausted, so after picking up our packages (resort guests can have all park purchases delivered), we spent a couple hours in our room.

"R" is for Rachel.
That's why she bought it

Our evening trip to Diagon Alley was subdued. Being away from our family is weighing on Ali and me, we’ve been on the go from morning till night, and we’re ready to go home. In the last three days, we've explored every nook and cranny, every detail, of the Wizarding World. Multiple times. Ali’s final (and scratchiest) purchase was a gorgeous wool sweater like Ron Weasley's Christmas sweater in the first film. The sweaters are made in Scotland by the same company who made the costumes and school uniforms for the film. It's now her prized possession.

We bought some fruit, yogurt and croissants at the Bayliner Diner and brought them to the room. Ali fell asleep a long time ago and I’ve been organizing and packing and cleaning up our hotel room. Hoarders is on TV, and it’s making me all anxious and mad. My emotions go from feeling compassionate to exasperated in mere seconds. Maybe I'll go down to the pool, where Star Trek Into Darkness is playing on a big screen. That would be much less depressing... Oh great, now a TV show is on about sweet little girls who are conjoined twins joined at the head. Looks like I’m not going anywhere tonight.

“Mischief Managed.”

- Rachel