Orlando, FL 2016 - Day 6

With our Disney days behind us, we set our sights on Universal and arrived this morning just as the park opened. The Universal Orlando Resort has two theme parks: Universal Studios and right next door is Islands of Adventure. Both parks contain a piece of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and a park-to-park ticket is required to go back and forth between the two. Ali decided that we needed to start our day at Diagon Alley in one park, and from there, ride the Hogwarts Express train to Hogsmeade in the other park. This is the order in which Harry Potter visits those locations in the books, so we needed to do it like Harry.

Ali and I took a trip here together last year, and we spent three days exploring the Wizarding World. Now it was time to share it with our family. We walked through Universal Studios to the back of the park passing through New York, San Francisco, and finally ending up in London. The kids pointed out everything they wanted to do later in the day.

We wandered around King’s Cross Station taking pictures of the Knight Bus when Chad asked, “Where is Diagon Alley?” This part of the park is completely hidden from the street, and someone who didn’t know about it could easily miss it. We walked over to a brick wall, passed behind it, and entered Diagon Alley.

There's magic behind that wall

And there it is

We bought hot butter beer, pumpkin juice, and fishy green ale. While all the drinks were tasty, the butter beer was the undisputed winner. We sipped our drinks and people-watched until we were ready to spend more money, so we stopped by  Gringott’s Money Exchange where we handed over our Muggle money (Muggles are non-magic people, for all you Muggles that don’t know what I’m talking about) and the banker handed us Gringott’s Bank Notes which can be used anywhere in the Wizarding World.

When it was time to leave Diagon Alley, we headed to King’s Cross and boarded the Hogsmeade Express to Hogsmeade (which is in Islands of Adventure). We had a train car to ourselves, which was a relief because after five days in theme parks, being so close to strangers all day can really get annoying. We disembarked at Hogsmeade and walked straight to Hogwarts. The ride was closed for refurbishment, but we were still able to walk through the castle and experience the magic.

Once we had our fill of wizarding things, we crossed a bridge into Jurassic Park. Jackson was so excited about this; he has loved those movies since he was a little boy. We wandered through the jungle until we arrived the River Adventure. We boarded our boats and set off on a peaceful river ride where we drifted by huge dinosaurs (I think they were actually real) until, just like every single ride in the world, something went terribly wrong. We went off course into the raptor containment area. Alarms buzzed, dinosaurs had escaped and were on the loose, and we were THIS close to being devoured by a gigantic T-Rex. Suddenly, we plunged down an 85-foot drop straight into the river. We were drenched for hours.

Welcome to Jurassic Park

Nothing makes a person hungrier than narrowly escaping a T-Rex attack, so we ate lunch at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. We feasted on fish and chips, ribs, chicken, and corn on the cob. And boring stuff like salad and fruit. Music filled the restaurant, and every now and again, Ali would narrate what part of the Harry Potter films we were listening to.

“This is the scene in the Prisoner of Azkaban when Aunt Marge blows up and floats away," and “This is the montage in the Order of Phoenix when Umbridge is terrorizing the teachers and students after being promoted by the Ministry to the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts.”

It reminded me a little of Rain Man.

Across the way, we stopped at Ollivander’s Wand Shop. Last year, Ali was chosen for the wand selecting ceremony, and ever since, Ashley has wanted to experience the same thing. With twenty-five people in the wand shop during the ceremony, I knew Ashley’s chances of being chosen were slim. We stood in line outside the shop, and when the door opened, a shopkeeper ushered us inside the dark room which was filled to the ceiling with dusty wand boxes. Once everyone was situated inside, the doors closed, and the wand shop clerk greeted us. And he went straight over to Ashley.

He looked her in the eye and asked her name. He chose her for the experience, and the joy she felt was obvious to everyone.

Ashley tested an ash wood and a hazel wood wand before the shopkeeper handed her a 15” birch wood wand with a unicorn hair core. The moment she held it in her hands, music swelled, wind blew, and a warm, golden light shined on Ashley. It was such a magical experience and I didn’t want it to end. We were immediately ushered into the gift shop where Ashley was given the option of buying her wand for “Only $51 after tax!”

Of course we bought it.

With Ashley’s new wand in hand, and a map of places around the park where she could cast spells, we set off to play.

Eventually, we left the Wizarding World and walked to Springfield (Home of the Simpsons). We stopped at Moe’s Tavern for the famed “Flaming Moe.” Jackson bought lunch at Krusty Burger, and Ashley bought a giant donut called a “big pink” from Lard Lad Donuts. The donut was about the size of a birthday cake and aggressively unhealthy. Mmmmmm, donut.

Ali couldn't wait to get her picture in front of the DeLoreon from Back to the Future. As luck would have it, Doc Brown was busy working on the car when we got there, and Ali had a fun interaction with him. If I didn't know better, I would've thought this guy was the real Doc Brown. He was incredible. E.T. was our next stop. One of the only original rides left at Universal Studios in Orlando, it’s like the frail old grandpa that doesn’t know he’s old and frail, but everyone is worried around him because clearly he doesn’t have much time left, and as much as his family loves him, they all know it’s his time to go. But I love that ride so much.

They're being dinosaurs. Duh.

We spent the rest of day on rides that made us dizzy, like Transformers and Skull Island: Reign of Kong. Jackson loved these rides. After Transformers, where Optimus Prime sent us on a mission to save the world, Jackson turned to Chad and me, shrugged, laughed, and just shook his head. Totally speechless.

We stayed until after the parks closed, and as we were herded out like cattle, we were so happy that we chose valet parking. We avoided the crowds and sat on a bench while someone brought our car to us. Chad and I dropped the kids off at home and we drove to Landry’s for a date. Over seafood and drinks, we were glad to finally be alone. Guess what we talked about?

Work. Boo.

I’m too exhausted to think of song lyrics for the end of my blog.

- The Niemeyers