But Where Are All The People??? -A September 2016 Trip Report - Update 4/4/17

[caitlinnf]

Day 2:Chapter 4-Doing a Little Magic
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We made the walk back to US and split off from our friends for awhile as we had two different goals in mind. Our family headed towards Diagon Alley, but it was so hot that we already needed to stop for some water. So we did that and visited a shark while we were at it.

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Finally, it was time to visit Ollivander’s wand shop. The girls were SO excited to get their wands. They all loved the wand choosing show, but Bethany was really disappointed that she did not get chosen. The other kids were happy to go into the store to start shopping, but I could tell this was going to bother her. So I took her back around and we tried again. No go. We tried one more time and then I told her it was time to stop. She could either choose a wand now or wait until tomorrow to try again, but I didn’t want to go through for a fourth time in a row. She decided to pick one out. I didn’t get pictures, but I’m pretty sure Bethany chose an “Ollivander Original,” while Becca got Ginny Weasley’s and Greg picked Harry Potter’s wand. Of course, once you buy your wands, there is no other choice but to do some magic!

We took the kids into Knockturn Alley to do some of the spells there (because hello, it’s cool and dark in there!) We also went into Borgin and Burkes and scared the kids with the moving hand…and then used them to scare another unsuspecting couple. It was awesome.

Greg looks nervous about something. ​

The kids could have run around with their wands for hours, but it was hot and we needed to meet back up with our friends. But first we had to knock off two more flavors of Butterbeer from our list! We tried Butterbeer Fudge first. I didn’t get a picture of this, but let me tell you, I was so disappointed. Two of my very favorite things mixed together to taste like nothing. It was very crumbly, dry and flavorless. I will likely try it one more time in the future in case it was a bad batch, but otherwise it is not worth the money.

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Have no fear though, because my beloved Butterbeer ice cream saved the day! This stuff is so amazing, and the kids agreed with me.
At this point our friends had come to find us, so we headed out of the Wizarding World…it was time to fight some aliens!​

 

[Raeven]

The burger sushi looks interesting.

I loved Butterbeer ice cream too!

 

[buteraa]

Awesome trip report so far!

 

[cinderaimee]

Following along what a fun trip!

 

[caitlinnf]

The burger sushi looks interesting.

I loved Butterbeer ice cream too!

It was very different, but super yummy!

Awesome trip report so far!

And thank you!

Following along what a fun trip!

It really was such a fun time.

 

[caitlinnf]

Day 2: Chapter 5 – Bob and Bhnxaxx

Our kids are big fans of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, so I was excited to introduce them to Men in Black: Alien Attack! Unfortunately, the height requirement is 42 inches, so Greg just missed it. I took him to the child swap room, but for the first time, he was REALLY upset about it. Probably a mix of being hot and tired and that this time Becca was big enough to ride so he was the only one who couldn’t. Anyway, he spent the whole time crying. That was fun. After that, though, he cheered up very quickly. Because we got to take a tour of the Immigration Room!

That cast member was awesome. She probably sat and played with Greg for 15 minutes. And at the end she gave him an "express pass" ticket thing to use when he is tall enough to ride.

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I almost forgot that I hadn’t actually ridden with the child swap, but I’m pretty sure Ben took Greg and the rest of us quickly rode again. I really love this ride. It’s so big and immersive and the lasers actually shoot what you are aiming at, unlike some other shooting rides (cough, Buzz, cough). Anyway, it was a lot of fun and a great way to cool down, because like I said before, it’s as cold as a meat locker in there! ​

 

[caitlinnf]

Day 3: Chapter 6- A Tiny Meltdown with a Good Ending
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I don’t have a ton of pictures from the rest of the day, so this update will finish off all of day 2, and it will be pretty word-heavy. Sorry in advance.
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After Men in Black, my notes say we had a frozen butterbeer. I have no recollection of this nor any pictures, but I know we did have one at some point, so this must have been it. And I guess it makes sense because we were right next to Diagon Alley, so it would have been easy to pop in and grab one! I’m sure it was delicious and refreshing in the heat.
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Our next stop had to be something that everyone could ride to avoid any more preschooler tears. Luckily, we hadn’t done Minion Mayhem yet, and guess who is a huge Minion fan?

Yep, this guy!! All of the kids LOVED this ride. I think it’s an adorable ride but it makes me really sick, so I usually end up taking my glasses off halfway through. I loved riding this with the kids because it was totally worth riding to sit and watch their faces the whole time. Afterwards, Becca completely freaked out over the dance party. She loves to dance and she loves to look at herself in a mirror/watch herself on video (humble much?), so combining the two was heaven for her. Instead of having minions out to meet, we got to meet Gru! That was fun.

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From here we went not very far and rode Transformers. As expected, Bethany and Greg loved this and Becca claimed she did not, but she rode it without complaint and just closed her eyes if she got scared. Works for me. I’m sure she will love it next time we go.
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Next the big boys went and rode Rip Ride Rock It while the rest of us waited. Thanks to Express Pass, this isn’t so bad. The kids talked to an awkward team member while we waited.
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By this time it was getting close to dinner time, so we headed over to Islands of Adventure. On the way to our dining destination, the other adults squeezed in one more ride on Hulk. I sat with the kids and witnessed an older woman (at least 70 years old), with a walker, wearing a bikini, shuffling around Superhero Island. It was…interesting?
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Finally it was dinner time, and we were headed to the Three Broomsticks! Ben and I had eaten here once before for breakfast and had a not-so-great experience where we were charged nearly $18 for the tiniest, saddest breakfast platter that you have ever seen. But we wanted our kids to see the theming and there was one more butterbeer incarnation that we needed to try, so we gave it a shot.
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Sorry, I have no pictures. But I will say this was the most pathetic meal we had the whole time. I got the Cornish pasties and salad and they were so small that I was still hungry when we were done. And they tasted like nothing. I think Ben may have gotten a salad with chicken, and the kids…maybe chicken nuggets or something. I honestly don’t know, because our day took a bit of a turn here. At some point during dinner, I noticed that Becca was holding her park ticket in her hand. (We all wore lanyards with our tickets, room key and express pass) I told her to put it back in her lanyard, and she says that her express pass is gone. Well, I have to admit that I didn’t react to this very calmly. I was angry that she was playing with the lanyard and that she had taken the papers out at all, and that I had already told her several times that day to not mess with it. She denied having any idea when it had gotten lost. We were mad because we had plans for more rides, and needed the express pass. Anyway, it was a little tense and stressful and we just didn’t really enjoy this dinner. Oh well. Oh, but we DID try the Potted Butterbeer, and it was good. Like butterbeer pudding, and you get to keep the cute little glass jar.
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After dinner our friends, who were moving over to Disney that night, left to spend a few hours at Magic Kingdom.
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The rest of us headed over to the guest services kiosk in Jurassic Island to see what we could do about the ticket situation. Thankfully, they were able to issue Becca a temporary Express Pass that would work through the rest of the night. She would just have to get a replacement before going back to the parks the next day.
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With that situation all settled, we decided to take a deep breath and redeem our evening. Since it was just us and the kids, we headed over to explore Seuss Island! I really love this area. It is so bright and colorful and just really well themed. First we rode the High in the Sky Trolley.

I was sure the kids would love this, and I was right. Also, I love the team member costumes for this ride!

We got the Sneetches track this time, but the kids thought it was cool that there are two different possibilities.

Next, we rode the Cat in the Hat. In my family you can’t go wrong with a cute dark ride, so it was a good time.

Then we did One Fish, Two Fish, which was a pretty hilarious adventure because Greg was in charge of flying our fish and he ended up getting us both completely soaked.
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We ended the night on the carousel, which is always a hit with my kidlets.

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That brought us to park closing. On the way out we realized that we didn’t have any leftover granola bars or anything else in our room for breakfast, so we stopped in one of the shops and bought one of the giant Lard Lad donuts. Considering it would feed all five of us, we figured that $5 was a great value!
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As we were walking out of the park Ben and I discussed that we were both still hungry after our not-so-filling dinner. I told them to continue onto Hard Rock and start getting ready for bed, and I ran over to City Walk and grabbed an Italian Sandwich and fries from Bread Box. I brought it back to the room and we snacked and then crashed. It had been a very hot, very full, and very fun day. We needed some sleep so we could do it all again tomorrow!
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Day 2 Step Count: 23,996​

 

[gracer9977]

I am totally going to have to fit in a Universal trip ASAP. Everything looks like so much fun and my whole family is about thrill rides and coasters, Super Heroes and Harry Potter. Really enjoying following along on your TR and seeing a park I've never been to before.

Love all the pictures and it looks like you are all having such a great time (minus the missing Express ticket).

 

[caitlinnf]

I am totally going to have to fit in a Universal trip ASAP. Everything looks like so much fun and my whole family is about thrill rides and coasters, Super Heroes and Harry Potter. Really enjoying following along on your TR and seeing a park I've never been to before.

Love all the pictures and it looks like you are all having such a great time (minus the missing Express ticket).

I'm glad you're enjoying it even though you have never been! If you are a thrill ride family AND fans of Harry Potter, it's pretty much a must-do.
We really did have an awesome time. Honestly, I think the express pass drama was the worst of it...not bad for a 10 day trip!

 

[ariane37]

JAWS! How I miss that ride DH and I rode it back in 2000 and then of course it was gone by the time we brought the boys in 2015, and it was a shame since younger DS loves the movie. I thought it was a great ride.......but at least they still have my E.T. lol! I was also a fan of MIB and thought it much better than Buzz Lightyear. Couldn't open my eyes for much of the Minions because I get nauseous but the rest of the family enjoyed it!
However my favorite ride was Riptide Rocket I'd go back just to ride that! Since I'm the only one in the family who has read all the HP books nobody was interested in purchasing a wand, but watching others work the spells was really cool.

 

[cinderaimee]

All your pictures in this report are just great! I just have to ask, what kind of camera are you using? I upgraded mine earlier this year and I'm excited to see how my pictures come out at the park.

 

[caitlinnf]

JAWS! How I miss that ride DH and I rode it back in 2000 and then of course it was gone by the time we brought the boys in 2015, and it was a shame since younger DS loves the movie. I thought it was a great ride.......but at least they still have my E.T. lol! I was also a fan of MIB and thought it much better than Buzz Lightyear. Couldn't open my eyes for much of the Minions because I get nauseous but the rest of the family enjoyed it!
However my favorite ride was Riptide Rocket I'd go back just to ride that! Since I'm the only one in the family who has read all the HP books nobody was interested in purchasing a wand, but watching others work the spells was really cool.

I never made it to Universal before Jaws closed, which makes me pretty sad.
Ugh, I don't know why Minions is so vomit-inducing. It's really cute but it hits me harder than any other simulator ride!
The wands were a giant hit...but our whole family LOOOOOOOVES Harry Potter.

All your pictures in this report are just great! I just have to ask, what kind of camera are you using? I upgraded mine earlier this year and I'm excited to see how my pictures come out at the park.

Thank you so much! I am not in the least bit a photographer and am still learning the basics, but I really love my camera. It's a Nikon 3300. Usually with a 18-55mm lens. Some of the pictures are also from our phones

 

[caitlinnf]

Day 3: Chapter 1- A Wet and Wild Morning
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To everyone who is wanting me to hurry up and get to Disney: have no fear, we go there on Day 3. To those who are enjoying the Universal time: there is more of that before we move to Disney! See, best of both worlds
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We all slept well and didn’t have any more alarm clock fiascos, so it was easy to get up and moving for another early entry to Hogsmeade! But first, we had to eat a giant donut for breakfast.

It was decent. I only had a bite because it wasn’t something that interested me, but the kids liked it and it filled them up for a really long time.

Since it was our last day at Universal, our plans were to hit up early entry and spend a few hours at IOA doing the water rides. That way we could come back to the room and shower/change into dry clothes before checking out of the hotel. With that plan in place, we ventured over to IOA! I didn’t feel the need to do Forbidden Journey again this morning, so I waited outside with the littles and enjoyed this view.

Bethany was thrilled to do the ride again with her dad. She probably would have ridden it all day if we let her.

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While we were waiting for them to ride, Becca informed me that she REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to ride Flight of the Hippogriff again, so she could bow to Buckbeak. So much for hating it yesterday. Whatever, I was just happy that she seemed to be coming around to her normal ride-loving self again. When Bethany and Ben came back, we all paid a visit to Buckbeak, where sure enough Becca squealed with laughter the whole time. Sigh…middle children!

After those rides we decided to walk over to Dragon Challenge and asked if we could walk through the queue to show the kids the theming. The answer was yes, but we had to put everything in a locker, so no pictures. I was really happy to do this too, because I don’t do big coasters, but I wanted to see the queue. We had just finished reading the 4th Harry Potter book with the kids, so it was awesome to be able to point out things like the Triwizard cup and all of the Fleur DeLacoeur, Krum, etc references.

With the little bit of time left before regular park opening, we explored the shops a bit:

(she was the only one who would get near the monster book)

and stopped in Honeydukes one more time…to actually make a purchase this time.

We love the sour candies from the big wall of candy, so we filled a bag to snack on throughout the day. And the kids had candy necklaces as well.
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At this point it was 9am and the rest of the park opened, so we made the short walk to Jurassic Island for the first wet ride of the day…Jurassic Park River Adventure! I wasn’t really in a big ride mood today, so I was happy to hang out with Greg while the others rode. We went to check out the Jurassic Park discovery zone, but it turns out they don’t open until 10am. We went into the gift shop and Greg was able to see a couple of the dinosaurs in the center that way.

He LOVED that gift shop and I had to get him out of there quickly before we came home with everything.

We also took a picture with a slightly more intimidating dino…he was happy to pose for the picture as long as it was on the side of the jeep that was furthest away from the teeth!
We went back to the ride I tried to get a picture of them coming down, but I timed it wrong. I did have fun parking Greg and his stroller in the splash zone though!!

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As expected, Becca hated this ride. She loves Splash Mountain, but the dinosaurs were a bit too intense even though Ben had her close her eyes. But it was hot, so she did appreciate the water cooling her off. Hence the weird half smile.

Bethany loved it, also as expected. More candy was consumed too. This one was a bit more sour than she was expecting!
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Next we headed into Toon Lagoon so Ben and Bethany could do Dudley Do Right Ripsaw Falls.

I know that Becca would normally love that one too, but she insisted that she didn’t want to after the Jurassic Park one, and we decided not to push our luck. So I took her and Greg on Spiderman. Becca didn’t complain about it this time, and I’m pretty sure she opened her eyes for lots of it. I think she decided it wasn’t as bad as being lunged at by a giant dinosaur and then thrown down a waterfall!

Then we headed back to Toon Lagoon and I took the girls on Bilge Rat Barges. This was a lot of fun, and VERY wet. While we were doing that, Ben and Greg played on the Me Ship, The Olive, and this may have been Greg’s favorite thing we did the whole day. He loved just running around exploring the ship and finding “hiding places”. I switched places with Ben while he and the girls rode the Bilge Rat Barges again, and watched the little guy run around like the happiest kid in the world. Sorry for no pictures, we were trying our best to keep the camera dry!
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It was getting close to check out time at the hotel (I forgot to mention before that we were able to get it extended by an hour), but we had a couple of must-do things before that. On our way to the back of the park, we got distracted by a sign for a character meet that just had to happen!

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This kid L.O.V.E.S. Spiderman. Loves. And this Spiderman was so wonderful. He was friendly and had a nice long visit with Greg, asking him all about what he did to his finger (a week prior he had shut his pinky in a door and cut it deep and lost his fingernail, requiring sedation and stitches and a lot of stress), and took lots of pictures with the kids. It was a great interaction.

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With that out of the way, we headed back to Hogsmeade and FINALLY boarded the Hogwarts Express! I couldn’t believe it had taken until the second day for us to do this with the kids, but that’s just how it worked out. They loved it, of course.

When we got to Diagon Alley we were hot and thirsty and decided to get a drink that Ben and I actually love: Fishy Green Ale! The kids hilariously did not like it. I think the “fish eggs” grossed them out. The other must-do that we had to accomplish before returning to the room was a souvenir purchase. You see, on our Disney trips we usually allow the kids to choose one (fairly small) item each for the whole trip. We had obviously splurged a little bit on the wands, but we had told them that they could have one souvenir from Universal and one from Disney. Well, the girls started thinking about how often we visit Disney, and concluded that they would rather take advantage of being in the Wizarding World. So they wheeled and dealed and somehow convinced us that they NEEDED to get pets from the Magical Menagerie shop in Diagon Alley. We are suckers for Harry Potter merchandise, so it didn’t take a whole lot of convincing. Bethany bought Hedwig and Becca got a purple Pygmy Puff. After that we went over to Weasly’s Wizarding Wheezes where they do a naming ceremony for pygmy puffs. Becca thought this was the best thing ever. (WHY do I not have pictures of any of this?? I really feel like I took some )
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Now we were definitely out of time, and we had to book it back to the resort, where we showered, changed, and packed up. But the Universal fun was not over yet!​

 

[heaven2dc]

Fun exciting times at Universal Studios and IOA! Hopefully you got the express pass fixed the next day! I never would have thought of letting each child wear their own lanyard and carry their passes/tickets. We have never visited Universal Studios in either Orlando or Hollywood (which is near us) and can't wait to visit esp to see the Harry Potter attraction. The kids look so happy in the last pic - too cute!

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

Joining In...and your report has convinced me...i definitely have to do a US trip...I have to see the Potter!!! Great report, I can't wait to read more.

 

[caitlinnf]

Fun exciting times at Universal Studios and IOA! Hopefully you got the express pass fixed the next day! I never would have thought of letting each child wear their own lanyard and carry their passes/tickets. We have never visited Universal Studios in either Orlando or Hollywood (which is near us) and can't wait to visit esp to see the Harry Potter attraction. The kids look so happy in the last pic - too cute!

Yes, we did get the express pass fixed in the morning. It wasn't too bad, just an extra trip to the front desk and back to the kiosks to get her picture taken again. I feel like lanyards are a necessity at Universal. They don't have magic bands like Disney, but if you are on site you have a room key, a park ticket, and an express pass...and if you get the dining plan, there is another card for that. If you wear a lanyard with a see-through card holder, you can put your ticket in one side and the express in the other, with everything else in between, and when it comes time to scan either ticket, it is easy.

Joining In...and your report has convinced me...i definitely have to do a US trip...I have to see the Potter!!! Great report, I can't wait to read more.

Yes, you have to do it! If you are a Potter fan, it is an absolute must. It feels like being in that world. Thanks so much for reading!

 

[kittylady1972]

Loving your report! I like the idea of getting in the water rides and then going back to the hotel to change before checkout. Can I ask what time was checkout and did you have to pay to extend it the extra hour? We are doing a ONE day trip in November and if it's warm enough to do water rides I might consider doing the same thing!

 

[ALEXandFAB]

Next month, we're doing a similar trip to yours - starting with 3 nights at the Hard Rock and then 9 nights at Coronado Springs Resort

Following. Will be back to read through your report

 

[BellaBaby]

Just wanted to chime in and say I'm enjoying your TR!
Makes me want to check out the Dark Side! Hmm...maybe if we go back in June we can add on a few days!!

 

[caitlinnf]

Loving your report! I like the idea of getting in the water rides and then going back to the hotel to change before checkout. Can I ask what time was checkout and did you have to pay to extend it the extra hour? We are doing a ONE day trip in November and if it's warm enough to do water rides I might consider doing the same thing!

Yes, it was a strategy that worked out pretty well for us. I hate walking around in wet clothes all day, so it was nice knowing we would be able to walk back and change, and also take care of check out at the same time.
Regular check out is at 11am. We just asked if we could have a later one and they said we could extend til noon, no charge. The extra hour was super helpful.

Next month, we're doing a similar trip to yours - starting with 3 nights at the Hard Rock and then 9 nights at Coronado Springs Resort

Following. Will be back to read through your report

Exciting! I hope you have a great trip. I've never been to Coronado, but it is one I have considered a lot.

Just wanted to chime in and say I'm enjoying your TR!
Makes me want to check out the Dark Side! Hmm...maybe if we go back in June we can add on a few days!!

Thank you! It does make it more fun to write knowing that someone is actually reading it I think that it is absolutely worth adding a couple of days onto your trip if you have never been!