From the Sea to the World - Holiday Edition - Completed

[dolphingirl47]

But I think the one thing I miss when I am abroad is the variety of bread that we have.

That is precisely it. I have noticed over the last couple of years that there is a bigger variety of breads available in the UK, but they tend to be white breads with a similar texture and taste.

Have you ever considered trying to bake your own bread?

I did consider it at one point, but came to the result that it would not be worth it just for the two of us. I rather like my bread fresh.

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

Meeting the Goblins - Part 1

December 10

In case you know nothing about Harry Potter, Goblins are creatures in that book that play a role in the wizard banking industry. And this was where we were headed today: To go to the Gringotts Bank at Diagon Alley.

Our plan was an early start – we wanted to be at Universal for park opening at 9am. But with going to the party the evening before, we knew that we would most likely not make it.

Some of us believe 9 a.m. is still time to be in bed!!!

However, it was only 9:30am when we found a parking sport in the Spiderman area of the Universal parking garage:

I really like it that Universal has parking garages where your car can stand in the shade. It is going to be warm when you get back, but not as baking hot as if it has been out in the sun all day.

We made our way towards the parks following along the walkway on to Citywalk. Citywalk is kind of Universal’s version of Downtown Disney. But it located so that if you go from parking to the parks, you are passing through it. I like it as it greets you with a festive atmosphere. Disneyland Paris has a similar layout. But their version is a bit run down and not really lively…

Here is a picture of one area of Citywalk:

The colourful house in the back is a restaurant called Antojitos, we had reservations there for dinner and I wanted to document it during daylight.

The we headed into our first park of the day, Universal Studios:

One of the Christmas things they have there, is that they have some of the balloons from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on display throughout the park. I loved that, especially since I had so much fun watching that parade on Thanksgiving morning for the first time ever.

And then we were in the park. I really like the entrance area there which looks like old Hollywood. As compared to DHS which has a more whimsical version, this here looks more realistic – well as realistic as any theme park would ever be…

We saw Spongebob coming around the corner to greet the morning “crowds”:

Talking about crowds: when we entered the park, it felt like it only had light crowds and we were glad that our late arrival would not make our day totally horrible… Well, we were in for quite a surprise with regard to crowds on that day…

A VERY pleasant surprise, indeed.

Mrs Simpson and son were also busy greeting guests:

Her son is Bart Simpson!

I think everyone knows that...

Our first destination of the day was London:

I was totally blown away by how well they captured the essence of London in just a few houses. I have spent a lot of time in London, lived there for some time even. I used to live really close to Kings Cross station which you can see in the picture here. And it does really look like a miniature version of the station. Of course, you would not have the Leicester Square tube stop directly next to it (that is the red building).

And you'd never know that just a few short years ago there was a nasty shark named Bruce patrolling the then-Amity waters.

But it just felt very right. I was impressed!

As you can see in this picture: while it was sunny, it was a cold day. I think it might have been the coolest day of the trip even.

No, it was worse the next day -- Thursday and not much better after. It was near perfect today. about 68 and pure sunshine. Not typical for Florida, even for early December. Just perfect. And since no one was really there, it truly was a blissful day.

We quickly found the “secret” entrance into Diagon Alley and went from muggle London to wizard London to make our way over to Gringott’s:

The entrance is in the building to the left.

I think the posted wait time was 15 minutes and we were really happy that it was not much longer yet! So, in we went. You enter a very elegant bank building:

And then into the big hall with all the bank clerks, which you could watch doing all their tasks:

Yes, this is the first part of the queue already. It was totally empty.

This guy was very concentrated on his work:

And we managed to sneak behind him to go into the bank itself.

We kind of walked and walked and then got hold up, but that was just a short delay to get our picture taken for the “security passport” (which you could then buy as a souvenir after the ride. You get a receipt for that and if you reride and show them your receipt they let you skip the picture taking).

And then we went on. And things happened (i.e. a pre-show, but I don’t want to spoil it for you what it is) and then we continued walking and Michael was starting to say how odd it was that we were still walking and then we finally come to a stop. At a point where we can see the loading platform! Yes, by all means it was a walk on! I think in the end we got out of the ride 15 minutes after we entered the line…

The ride itself was quite amazing. It has a very interesting ride mechanism. If you have seen the Harry Potter films where they take that little train through Gringotts, you can see that this is where they got the inspiration from. I would say it is a mix of The Mummy and Spiderman at Universal, or if you think in WDW terms: of Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. However, the ride sensation if far milder and less jerky than those combinations sound like. But the story is really very intense. I found it pretty scary! Not as scary as another ride that we did that day though. I think most of the thrill in this ride is really more in the story and what you see and less in the motion.

I love both major Potter attractions, but Forbidden Journey is definitely much more intense (even if I put my folks on it back in 2012). Gringotts is more of a BTMRR type of intensity, which to me isn't very intense at all!

We got out and saw that it was still a 15 minute wait and immediately went back on. This is a ride that all through the summer routinely had two hour waits or so. We thought that if you get the chance to ride it without a line in the morning hours, you definitely had to take that chance!

Two hours? There were times the wait was multiples of that last summer, part due to its newness, part due to its popularity and part due to it breaking down -- lots.

This time we truly walked on and did not even have a short hold up at the loading platform.

Afterwards we went on to explore Diagon Alley. It is a really cute area with plenty of shops and just fun stuff to look at. If you are into details, you can spend a lot of time in there! And most of it really does not require any knowledge of the films or the books as it is just fun on its own.

I have been to Tokyo DisneySea, which is the best theme park in the world (in my opinion) and is certainly a marvel of detailing and layering. Diagon Alley is of that quality.

Some pictures from our explorations:

Somehow we had spent quite some time exploring and we were getting hungry. We discussed getting a snack somewhere, but then thought we could get an early lunch instead, so we headed to the Leaky Cauldron, the restaurant in Diagon Alley. They have an interesting set up where there is one queue line in one room and then you get to the room with the cash registers and they call you up to one register at a time when it is free. I like that system as I don’t have to worry about ending up behind the people who have no clue as to what they want and how to pay for it etc. Once you are done ordering, you get your drinks and a team member leads you to a free table. They give you a number that is placed on your table and then someone comes and delivers your food.

For drinks I had a butter beer (the not frozen variation, I wanted to try it, but the frozen one is much better!!) and Michael had Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice (I tried to convince him to get the Fishy Green Ale, but he did not want to for whatever unexplicable reason):

One complaint: being that J.K. Rowling wanted everything to be realistic in her Potter worlds, you can't get a simple Coke. I enjoyed the Fizzy OJ because it was basically orange Fanta, but would have preferred a nice Coke. The time I ate here previously -- sans M -- I wound up with a Frozen Butterbeer, which I love ... as a dessert item. It doesn't quench thirst or complement a meal very well at all.

Michael had a Cottage Pie – savory combination of beef & chunky vegetables in a potato crust served with a garden salad:

He liked it as far as I remember.

I had the Scotch Egg – served warm with apple beet salad and mustard sauce:

I usually love scotch eggs, but these were a bit dry. The mustard sauce was delicious though. The beet salad did not convince me at first as it was rather sour, but it grew on me. I would have loved to have some bread with it, but there was none.

This is the dining hall:

There is more seating on the sides through the arches, but it is not a very large place. However, it seemed that they had a very efficient system of putting people through it. By making everyone stand in line and seating people they also avoid the table saving problem which makes seating even more difficult to obtain the more crowded the restaurant is.

Continued in Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

Meeting the Goblins - Part 2

After lunch we explored some more:

This was the owl shop:

And then it was time for dessert – you might have already noticed the ice cream cone in the previous picture.

This is what I got:

I think it was strawberry and peanut butter on top and something caramel on the bottom.

Michael had a softserve, which they offer in various tastes as well:

I think the flavor was just the green edge though, so he was not that impressed. My ice cream was just fabulous however! They had some really unique flavours and while it was rather pricey, I felt that I definitely got my money’s worth.

Once we had our ice cream, it was time to leave London and Diagon Alley and to explore some other areas of the park. Opposite King’s Cross Station you can find the Knight Bus parked:

I had to take a picture of this row of houses as they looked so familiar:

They even had a green cabman shelter:

You can find these in London as places where cab drivers can take a rest from their work during the day (or night I guess). One of those was just across the street from my college and I walked past it on a daily basis.

We headed over to the Simpsons ride:

We did not ride it though as I got nearly sick on it on my first visit to Universal and there were plenty of other things that we wanted to do. Also, both of us were still feeling like Universal was experiencing some rough seas. Yes, we still felt like we were on a ship! And riding a roller coaster like Gringotts which moves you around quite a bit had not made it any better.

Have I complained lately about the nasty little extra we got from our Fantasy cruise? I don't want to make a big deal about it or scare people away from taking a cruise, but I have taken 19 cruises (many of the 14-night Transatlantic variety as well as the Wonder Panama Cruise voyage that M and I did last spring) and I haven't had that type of lasting vertigo since maybe my first or second cruise. I'm still not entirely sure why it happened. But when you get off a ship Saturday morning and the ground is still moving Wednesday afternoon, it just isn't fun!

Since my last visit they had expanded this area and added a miniature Springfield. We went to check that out.

I sometimes get the impression that this slogan is the one that Disney uses internally to determine their pricing structure:

interesting topiaries:

Inside Moe’s Tavern:

They have a poster in there which shows all the characters that ever played a role in the Simpsons:

There even is a legend to it to explain who is who.

All in all, it is mainly a large food venue. But very fun in its design!

Across the water there was another one of the Macy’s balloons:

We headed into that direction to check out what the wait situation was like at the Transformers ride. This was a new addition for me as well. I have to say that I was really impressed how much Universal had added since my last visit in 2011!

I really was not that keen on Transformers as I had never had any interest in any of the films. But I was happy to give it a try. So, we were happy to see that this also posted only a 15 minute wait and we went in. And once again totally walked onto the ride!

The ride itself… Hmmm. I kind of screamed and screamed and screamed. And was confused as I had no idea what was going on. There was something about a nest, but I never really understood what the significance of that was. And since it was loud, I did not understand the audio that well. I guess if I had screamed less, I might have understood more though…

And my ears might have appreciated it more too!

(Hmpfff...)

The ride itself is similar to Spiderman, but it felt more jerky and had less breaks. During Spiderman there are moments when you can catch your breath, here those seemed to be far fewer.

Still, it was a thrilling ride that was great fun. I would definitely ride it again, but I cannot imagine waiting a long time for it. There are other rides at Universal that I far prefer.

And we were heading to one of those through the streets of New York:

Our destination:

The Mummy, which is a roller coaster with special elements in it. We headed in and once again walked onto the ride without any wait! I was starting to be very amazed about that. Last time when Katharina and I had been there in October 2011 it felt like we were so lucky with wait times, but by that time in the afternoon, we were encountering short waits of 15 to 20 minutes. But here we were walking onto every single ride without any wait. And especially on the rides that draw long lines regularly. We definitely picked a great day!

Everything was either a very short wait (under 15 minutes) or walk-ons. Both parks for the entire day. Amazing how much more enjoyable the parks are when you not only don't have much waits, but the walkways and queues aren't just full of humanity. This was one of the most pleasant days I have ever spent at UNI. And, I guess ... the company wasn't so bad either!

I really enjoyed The Mummy very much this time again. It is kind of similar to RNRC, but better in my opinion.

Another balloon:

And then we decided to head over to Islands of Adventure. Or better – we decided to go from London to Hogsmeade via the Hogwarts Express. So, we headed to Kings Cross Station and entered it:

There were conductors checking your train tickets (i.e. checking if you had a ticket with park hopping priviledges as only those will let you take the train to the other park).

We walked through the station (once again, usually this is queuing area):

And then made our way to platform 9 ¾:

We saw one train depart, but there was quickly the next train around to let us board:

We got a nice spot in a comfy compartment and enjoyed the train ride despite some out of the ordinary incidents along the way (these were part of the show).

At the exit I took a picture of our lovely engine that brought us to Hogsmeade:

The Hogwarts Express is interesting as it is a hybrid between transportation and attraction. And I am really not sure what I would say it is more. They tried very hard to turn it into an attraction, but in the end it appears to be more a method of transportation with entertainment. Maybe it would be more successful as an attraction if it would not take you anywhere, but just go in a circle like the peoplemover. It certainly has far more show than the peoplemover!

I think it is much more of an attraction than the Peoplemover is and I love that too. Here you have a sort of show that is going on. Things are happening as you travel and the Potter characters have taken you along for the fun. Much like old Walt Disney, I love trains. And trains where you get an attraction component are even better.

We immediately left Hogsmeade, here is a look back:

And headed through the Lost Continent:

Continued in Part 3

 

[Flossbolna]

Meeting the Goblins - Part 3:

To Seuss Landing:

We were here for a showing of the Grinchmas show that they offer during the Christmas season.

If you know the story of the Grinch, then you know what this show was about. I had never heard the story of the Grinch, so for me it was all new! It is mainly about the character Grinch (he is the green guy) and how he does not like Christmas. The show was really cute and whimsical!

I had always wanted to see the show, but on my last two Christmas season visits never managed to do so. It is an excellent production. Top notch. Fun. And they have it the same soundstage they use for actual tapings (yes, unlike Disney, UNI still does some production in O-Town) most recently used when Jimmy Fallon brought the Tonight Show down last summer.

After the show we went on the Cat with the Hat ride which was very cute! I had missed that the last time and have to say that it is definitely a very nice dark ride.

It was better when it opened and it spun you around quite a bit inside. Unfortunately, they had an incident a few years back where a child wasn't secured properly by TMs and parents and flew out and was seriously injured and the lawyers came in and the rest is ... a lot lesser ride.

I think I haven't explained the TM abbreviation yet: It stands for Team Member, which is Universal's name for their employees, like Cast Member at Disney.

Then we passed through the Lost Continent again – which is one of the most beautiful theme park areas, but I have never done anything there attraction wise.

And we were back at Hogsmeade!

It does look crowded there, doesn’t it?

I think we checked out the wait for the Dragon Challenge coasters and since it was something short, we went on it. After walking onto the red side, we decided to immediately go back and ride the blue side as well (or the other way around). Those are inverted coasters and while I loved the last time, I was not so sure after the first ride. I think this was also due to the constant moving of the ground. All those rides at Universal did really not improve that feeling! So, Michael had to convince me to come along for the second one and I found out that that was actually much nicer. They have different layouts and the one which we went on the second time was more agreeable for me. I really enjoyed it!

Great coasters. Loved them when the park opened in 1999 and still are among my favorites in FL.

We headed over to Hogwarts, to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but this was posting a 30 minute wait still and we did not feel like waiting in line at all that day after we were so spoiled! Well, we decided to take a break and let people disappear as it was getting later in the afternoon. So we got a butterbeer, this time the frozen variation:

This was sooooooooooo good. Frozen butter beer is just so wonderful! The only problem was that it was getting really cold outside and I started to feel rather chilly from drinking frozen stuff on a freezing cold day.

After the butter beer break we headed over to Hogwarts. I think they still claimed that it would be a 20 minute wait, but this was a blatant lie! Of course, we walked onto the ride directly.

I really like this ride. I think this and Spiderman still tie as my overall favourite rides at Universal. It is so unique in its ride mechanism and gives you such interesting sensations.

When we came out, the sun had gone down and the lights started to go on around Hogsmeade. It was very pretty!

I still had one ride that I wanted to do: Spiderman. So, this is where we went. I really enjoyed it, but after a day of riding one jerky ride after another I also found it very exhausting.

I have to say that as much as I enjoy the rides at Universal, if you do them as we did in such a compact way you really notice how similar all these rides are in their story and delivery. I kind of miss some smaller, less intense rides. There are some, like the Cat in the Hat. We also did the trolley ride in Seuss Landing at some point (not sure when exactly though, I think before we headed over to Spiderman in the evening). But I miss a ride like Pirates or the Great Movie Ride or so.

Yes, we did. And it was the longest wait we had all day. A good 15-20 minutes.

On the way out we checked out the shops and Michael was thrilled to see a shop full of Marvel merchandise:

I rather enjoyed looking at all the Christmas Grinch stuff in their Christmas shop:

And then we left Islands of Adventure.

We met up with our Friend C (from the previous evening when we went to the Osbourne Lights) as she works at Universal. With her being there we were able to get a nice discount at the main Universal shop at Citywalk, so we dropped some souvenir money there. Michael and I ended up getting matching Harry Potter t-shirts. ;-)

I just recall that we saved quite a bit of coin, on top of getting the comp tickets ...and the discount on dinner (see below). It's nice to have friends in high places.

With Friend C we went to dinner at Antojitos. This is a really cool restaurant with Mexican food. It tries to have a very hip vibe and we thought it worked very well, even though some of the decorations were a bit bizarre.

We decided to share their tableside guacamole as a starter:

They had brought us chips and salsa already, I think we got two different ones to start with and then got another sauce when we were discussing how hot we wanted the guacamole to be with the tableside guacamole chef. The chips were really great, definitely freshly made, and they were refilled as often as we wanted.

The guacamole was excellent! We all gave our best to finish it during the course of the meal. It was a huge portion! We saw plenty of people at the bar ordering drinks and one guacamole and for two, I would say it would be a meal in itself. It does not come cheap with $14, but for the portion you get, it was definitely worth it.

The food and drink was excellent. You don't find good Mexican food in Florida. You never have. THIS is good Mexican. It is by far the best Mexican I have had in this state in a very long time.

We also had some margaritas with our starter:

The drinks were large and delicious.

I had some Tacos de la Calle – served in a cast iron skillet with house rice and black beans, choice of flour or crispy had shell corn tortillas. I think it had the Chicken Tinga – chicken tinga, chipotle pepper sauce, pineapple salsa, queso fresco:

It all tasted very good, I just found it to be very dry. The good thing was that we had plenty of salsa and guacamole on the table that I could add to give it more moisture. I think next time I would order something else though.

Friend C had this dish, which I have no idea what it was:

It looks delicious though (much less dry then my dish) and she really liked it as well.

Michael had Chimichanga del Norte – adobo chicken, red onion, menonita cheese topped with salsa verde and salsa roja, black beans and rice:

I know that he loved it, he still talks about that meal.

We all were really struggling with our meal as the portions were large. Michael took some left overs with him, but did not manage to eat them all. Also, prices were really ok for being next to a theme park. My entrée was 14$, Michael’s 15$. The drinks were on the pricier side, but then that was our choice to order some.

I still feel awful about that. The food was great and I thought I'd be having leftovers as a snack or light meal another day. It just never happened and I wound up throwing them out and regret it ... to this very day!

During our meal a band came to play:

They were really good and added a lot of atmosphere.

I tried to capture some of the design elements:

After our dinner we walked around Citywalk a bit and looked around at all the new restaurants that they recently opened there. It is interesting that Universal seems to create new restaurants there that they operate themselves while in the past they had third party operators there. Disney is doing exactly the opposite at Disney Springs (former Downtown Disney) at the moment.

Citywalk is definitely a really nice place to go and get a meal after the theme parks close, especially since it is so convenient anyway.

We then headed back to the car and to SSR where we braved the icy temperatures and headed to the hot tub at the one quiet pool that is not closed down at 10pm. The hot tub was toasty warm and after some time I decided to check out the pool as I got too hot. The pool water was so nice and warm! It was heated to a really nice temperature and after some time I could convince Michael to come over as well. It was really quite magical to swim through the warm water with a view of Downtown Disney. Once we had enough of the water, we found out that the changing rooms there were still open and even heated, so we got out of the wet stuff before making our way back to our room.

It was a wonderful experience -- even if I had a crazy German hitting on me! ... It also reminded me of the good old days back when Disney actually heated all its pools to 82 degrees in winter. A lot of fun was had!

The late night swim was a perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Up next: Holidays around the World

 

[dolphingirl47]

However, it was only 9:30am when we found a parking sport in the Spiderman area of the Universal parking garage:

That is pretty good going especially after the party.

One of the Christmas things they have there, is that they have some of the balloons from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on display throughout the park.

I think I would have loved this.

This kind of reminds me of Buena Vista Street at California Adventure.

I think the posted wait time was 15 minutes and we were really happy that it was not much longer yet!

That sounds like a result.

Yes, by all means it was a walk on! I think in the end we got out of the ride 15 minutes after we entered the line…

That sounds even better.

or if you think in WDW terms: of Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. However, the ride sensation if far milder and less jerky than those combinations sound like.

That description sounds like my personal idea of hell.

Gringotts is more of a BTMRR type of intensity, which to me isn't very intense at all!

That however I could deal with.

We did not ride it though as I got nearly sick on it on my first visit to Universal and there were plenty of other things that we wanted to do. Also, both of us were still feeling like Universal was experiencing some rough seas. Yes, we still felt like we were on a ship! And riding a roller coaster like Gringotts which moves you around quite a bit had not made it any better.

Maybe this would have solved your problem. I went through a similar experience after our transatlantic cruise to the point it made me physically sick. I don't get seasick, but I suddenly felt sick and dizzy on dry land. On the flight back, we had some pretty awful turbulence and this seemed to reset whatever had been out of kilter.

I loved all the photos. The details in the Harry Potter areas are just amazing. Dinner looked lovely and I like the sound of that late night swim.

Corinna

 

[Steppesister]

I really am alive and eager to read all the threads I'm woefully behind on. Settling into the new job though is taking a lot more energy than I anticipated. My head is SO full of stuff when I get home, I spend a couple hours with the family.... then just go to bed. Only to get back up at 4:00 AM and do it all over again.

I may start taking my laptop to work and looking at threads during my lunch break. Okay.... back to slowly read.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

In case you know nothing about Harry Potter, Goblins are creatures in that book that play a role in the wizard banking industry. And this was where we were headed today: To go to the Gringotts Bank at Diagon Alley.

Excellent! My daughter has been making a huge amount of noise about wanting to go here, so I need to research it carefully! She loves her Harry Potter...

And then we were in the park. I really like the entrance area there which looks like old Hollywood. As compared to DHS which has a more whimsical version, this here looks more realistic – well as realistic as any theme park would ever be…

It's an interesting look. It's fun to have two different interpretations of the same theme.

Talking about crowds: when we entered the park, it felt like it only had light crowds and we were glad that our late arrival would not make our day totally horrible… Well, we were in for quite a surprise with regard to crowds on that day…

A VERY pleasant surprise, indeed.

Wow! Early December, huh? I need to write this down...

Actually, my daughter's birthday is in early February. I wonder if the crowds would be similarly light then.

And you'd never know that just a few short years ago there was a nasty shark named Bruce patrolling the then-Amity waters.

I do miss that Jaws ride. That was a fun one.

Yes, by all means it was a walk on! I think in the end we got out of the ride 15 minutes after we entered the line…

Wow! That's un-heard of for that ride!

The ride itself was quite amazing. It has a very interesting ride mechanism. If you have seen the Harry Potter films where they take that little train through Gringotts, you can see that this is where they got the inspiration from. I would say it is a mix of The Mummy and Spiderman at Universal, or if you think in WDW terms: of Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. However, the ride sensation if far milder and less jerky than those combinations sound like. But the story is really very intense. I found it pretty scary! Not as scary as another ride that we did that day though. I think most of the thrill in this ride is really more in the story and what you see and less in the motion.

I love both major Potter attractions, but Forbidden Journey is definitely much more intense (even if I put my folks on it back in 2012). Gringotts is more of a BTMRR type of intensity, which to me isn't very intense at all!

So what would Forbidden Journey compare to in terms of intensity? I'm trying to figure out how I could explain to my kids what to expect. And please tell me that neither ride has any huge drops, since as you know, that's the one element I can't stand.

I have been to Tokyo DisneySea, which is the best theme park in the world (in my opinion) and is certainly a marvel of detailing and layering. Diagon Alley is of that quality.

High praise, but the detail does look amazing!

Michael had Otter’s Fizzy Orange Juice (I tried to convince him to get the Fishy Green Ale, but he did not want to for whatever unexplicable reason):

Go figure.

One complaint: being that J.K. Rowling wanted everything to be realistic in her Potter worlds, you can't get a simple Coke.

Sometimes you really do just want a Coke.

This is the dining hall:

Love the theming!

Yes, we still felt like we were on a ship! And riding a roller coaster like Gringotts which moves you around quite a bit had not made it any better.

Uh oh. Being prone to seasickness myself, this isn't making me want to cruise again!

I sometimes get the impression that this slogan is the one that Disney uses internally to determine their pricing structure:

Hilarious! I love truth in advertising.

I really was not that keen on Transformers as I had never had any interest in any of the films. But I was happy to give it a try. So, we were happy to see that this also posted only a 15 minute wait and we went in. And once again totally walked onto the ride!

The ride itself… Hmmm. I kind of screamed and screamed and screamed. And was confused as I had no idea what was going on. There was something about a nest, but I never really understood what the significance of that was. And since it was loud, I did not understand the audio that well. I guess if I had screamed less, I might have understood more though…

And my ears might have appreciated it more too!

Oddly, this really does seem to capture the experience of just about any Transformers movie.

Still, it was a thrilling ride that was great fun.

Really? "Fun" wasn't the feeling I was getting from your description!

But here we were walking onto every single ride without any wait. And especially on the rides that draw long lines regularly. We definitely picked a great day!

That's amazing!

I think it is much more of an attraction than the Peoplemover is and I love that too. Here you have a sort of show that is going on. Things are happening as you travel and the Potter characters have taken you along for the fun. Much like old Walt Disney, I love trains. And trains where you get an attraction component are even better.

I think it's a really cool idea. And a great way to make the ride part of the theme park without having to build tons of elaborate sets along the way.

I think they still claimed that it would be a 20 minute wait, but this was a blatant lie! Of course, we walked onto the ride directly.

This is just getting ridiculous!

I have to say that as much as I enjoy the rides at Universal, if you do them as we did in such a compact way you really notice how similar all these rides are in their story and delivery. I kind of miss some smaller, less intense rides.

I think that's why I've always been drawn to Disney World more. It's designed for the entire family to have fun, so you get a variety of experiences. Whereas it seems like at Universal, if you don't want extreme thrills, you're pretty much out of luck.

I just recall that we saved quite a bit of coin, on top of getting the comp tickets ...and the discount on dinner (see below). It's nice to have friends in high places.

I need to make friends with these folks!

 

[Flossbolna]

That is pretty good going especially after the party.

Yes, I was very pleased!

I think I would have loved this.

I thought that Christmas at Universal was really nice with some special added bonuses. And those balloons were definitely great!

This kind of reminds me of Buena Vista Street at California Adventure.

Yes, that is a third version of theme park Hollywood. I would rank DCA between DHS and Universal Florida in terms of how realistic it looks.

That sounds like a result.

That sounds even better.

It was really wonderful how empty the park was!

That description sounds like my personal idea of hell.

That however I could deal with.

I find it very difficult to really say how thrilling the motion of the ride is. Because the story adds so much thrill that it is difficult for me to separate that from the motion. But it is really not too jerky motion wise at all.

Maybe this would have solved your problem. I went through a similar experience after our transatlantic cruise to the point it made me physically sick. I don't get seasick, but I suddenly felt sick and dizzy on dry land. On the flight back, we had some pretty awful turbulence and this seemed to reset whatever had been out of kilter.

Interesting! I guess next time I just need to book another cruise after the first one as this would also fit with your theory!

I loved all the photos. The details in the Harry Potter areas are just amazing. Dinner looked lovely and I like the sound of that late night swim.

Yes, the Harry Potter area is really out of this world. You could spend hours in there exploring. There are so many layers of stuff to see!

 

[Flossbolna]

I really am alive and eager to read all the threads I'm woefully behind on. Settling into the new job though is taking a lot more energy than I anticipated. My head is SO full of stuff when I get home, I spend a couple hours with the family.... then just go to bed. Only to get back up at 4:00 AM and do it all over again.

I may start taking my laptop to work and looking at threads during my lunch break. Okay.... back to slowly read.

Oh, don't worry, I fully understand how starting a new job is just draining all the energy out of you!

And I am happy to know that you still get some enjoyment out of reading along, even if you don't comment!

 

[Flossbolna]

Excellent! My daughter has been making a huge amount of noise about wanting to go here, so I need to research it carefully! She loves her Harry Potter...

Then I hope that this update has been helpful!! I am sure that she would have a blast exploring both the Harry Potter areas!

It's an interesting look. It's fun to have two different interpretations of the same theme.

Definitely! I think in a way the difference is similar to the differences between Kilimanjaro Safari and the Jungle Cruise...

Wow! Early December, huh? I need to write this down...

Actually, my daughter's birthday is in early February. I wonder if the crowds would be similarly light then.

My guess would be that it would be similarly light crowds then. But I think Universal gets more crowded during the weekends, that's why made sure to chose a weekday for our visit there. If you are thinking of a February trip, you are most likely thinking of a long weekend trip I would guess. I will ask Michael what he thinks about early February crowds!

I do miss that Jaws ride. That was a fun one.

Yes, Katharina and I enjoyed it a lot in 2011.

Wow! That's un-heard of for that ride!

I seem to be really lucky with the days I pick. Last time we walked onto Forbidden Journey when it was still very new...

So what would Forbidden Journey compare to in terms of intensity? I'm trying to figure out how I could explain to my kids what to expect. And please tell me that neither ride has any huge drops, since as you know, that's the one element I can't stand.

Have you been on the Spiderman ride at IoA? I would compare Forbidden Journey in intensity to that. It is a very unique kind of ride however. The ride vehicle is a "bench" you are sitting on which then gets enchanted to fly around, as if you were on a broomstick. The bench you are sitting on is attached to a robotic arm (made by Kuka, a German company) which in itself is then moving along a track. WDW has a Kuka arm with the Sum of All Thrills attraction at Invention. But there it simulates a roller coaster. This one does simulate a flight path. And the bench you are sitting on can move in all directions, as if it was floating in the air, you don't notice that it is attached to a track anywhere. None of the two Harry Potter rides has huge drops like ToT.

High praise, but the detail does look amazing!

They really went all out with the details!

Go figure.

I think fishy green ale sounds so appetizing!

Love the theming!

The restaurant is really great, I preferred it over the one in Hogsmead as this one is much lighter. And I liked the menu better.

Uh oh. Being prone to seasickness myself, this isn't making me want to cruise again!

We never got sick from it! Just felt the ground moving. And I am sure it was a very unusual occurrence! It should not keep you from cruising. But then I think you are not too keen on cruising in general.

Hilarious! I love truth in advertising.

I think this is what makes part of the comedy of the Simpsons: to put out plain truths.

Oddly, this really does seem to capture the experience of just about any Transformers movie.

I have never seen any, have no intention to and your comment does not change that in the least!!

Really? "Fun" wasn't the feeling I was getting from your description!

Hey, screaming can be fun! What do you think why people like Halloween Horror Nights (which I would never ever enjoy!).

I think it's a really cool idea. And a great way to make the ride part of the theme park without having to build tons of elaborate sets along the way.

It is really well done. And for someone who loves the Potter series, it definitely is a very unique experience.

This is just getting ridiculous!

Yes, I never had a theme park so empty as on that day. It was really amazing!

I think that's why I've always been drawn to Disney World more. It's designed for the entire family to have fun, so you get a variety of experiences. Whereas it seems like at Universal, if you don't want extreme thrills, you're pretty much out of luck.

I think Universal is getting better in that regard. Both the Harry Potter areas have a lot of detail to soak up and explore. At Diagon Alley for example there are points where you can do certain things with the wands that they sell and that is really cute. They also have recently announced a deal with Nintendo which should lead to some more family friendly attractions and there are rumors that Seuss Landing might get an additional ride. But in general I agree with you. It will be interesting what Universal is going to be like in 10 years or so however. They seem to keep adding new stuff constantly at the moment.

I need to make friends with these folks!

 

[Flossbolna]

Holidays around the World - Part 1

December 11

Today was originally supposed to be spent at Disney Hollywood Studios, but we changed our plans slightly and decided to spend most of it at Epcot and only end up at DHS for another viewing of the Osbourne Lights.

Once again we had a lateish start in the morning. We decided to head over to DHS and park our car there, walk over to Epcot and then have the car at the park we are spending the evening at.

My comments will likely be sparse on this day because I only remember it being very nice and slow paced with a VERY COLD night! I do recall starting to feel a bit bad today as it dawned on me that this trip was coming to a close very fast and I wasn't looking forward to returning home. ... At this point, I wasn't aware yet that the holidays were going to get even worse and that my father was going to have major lung surgery on Christmas Eve. But I knew that I was much better being away from the chaos at home.

We passed by the entrance to DHS and I got a picture of the spectacular Christmas tree:

I really enjoy the walk from DHS to Epcot, especially on a cool and sunny day like it was on that December day. There is a great view of the ToT:

We walked through the Boardwalk Resort and I had to get some pictures, considering that it is my original home resort. I really hope we get to stay there again soon, but I have no idea when that will be…

Hopefully not before we stay at our other home resort. ... Or Aulani.

They had a very pretty Christmas tree outside:

And the lobby was nicely decorated for Christmas as well:

They some very interesting Christmas ornaments going with the boardwalk/circus theme of the resort:

I found the fish-dog slightly disturbing!! Maybe it is a mermaid’s pet?

Outside they had filled the flower pots with poinsettias:

I thought this was so pretty! Here you never have a chance of seeing them outside as it is far too cold in winter. Btw, the German name for poinsettias is Weihnachtsstern, which means “Christmas star”.

The view across the lake from the walkway towards Epcot from the boardwalk:

And then we were in Epcot. We decided that lunch at France sounded like a great idea, so this is where we headed first:

Epcot is really beautiful with all the Christmas decorations around the World Showcase and I tried to capture quite a lot of it, so here is more of France:

We headed straight to the bakery where I got some pictures of the desserts:

We each got a sandwich and shared an apple pastry:

My sandwich was brie with apples on multigrain bread and Michael had the classical ham and cheese baguette.

There were not tables inside the bakery, but since the weather was nice anyway, we tried to find a place to sit down outside. Close to the bakery are only very few tables and they were all taken. But we remembered that there was a spot between France and Marocco where they had transformed a grassy area into a seating area with tables and chairs. So, we just took our food there. It was wonderful to sit there, very green, great view across the lagoon and it was fun to watch the people passing by.

Lunch was very nice. Seating was in an area that used to be grassy and landscaped (it really was the original expansion pad for an Israel pavilion) and in the last 6-7 years has been regularly used for special areas during the Food and Wine and Flower and Garden festivals. It was just a pleasant location with the cool but sunny weather. The food is also excellent at the newish expanded bakery.

After lunch we continued around the World Showcase:

And then went to listen to the Voices of Liberty singing Christmas carols:

This was a wonderful performance. It still was a bit lacking for me as those carols are not the ones I am familiar with. But it was still wonderful music and a great atmosphere!

Our next stop was Italy where we got there just in time to watch the relatively new entertainment there, the flag wavers (yes, that is not the official name, but it is very descriptive).

These guys were really cool! It was fun to watch. I think it is a great addition to the World Showcase.

Next we checked out the stores in Germany to kill time until Helga, the German storyteller would start her performance.

I thought these beer steins are really cute:

(even though the word “beer stein” does not make any sense to my German ears, as Stein is the German word for “stone. We just call them Bierkrug, which means beer mug mug. However, the German word for earthenware is Steinzeug (stone stuff) and I guess this is where the English word beer stein comes from)

German Christmas decorations:

Glittery Aladdin on sale in the crystal shop in Germany:

It was very pricey! And Michael said that if he ever is really rich, he wants that for his living room. I did not fully agree with that idea though…

I have rich tastes. Besides, as I was once told, money is simply colored paper.

(I think I still prefer the look of colored paper to this Aladdin...)

Then it was time to head to the little stage for Helga:

During the Holidays Epcot has storytellers at each of the World Showcase pavilions, which tell stories about the Christmas traditions in the various countries, or if the countries don’t have a Christian tradition, about other holidays. One of the reasons why we decided to add in Epcot that day was specifically to catch some of that seasonal entertainment.

Here is Helga talking about the advent calendar:

It was a really neat story and the only objection I had to it is that the advent calendar that she is showing has 25 doors. Since we celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th, our advent calendars end on the 24th.

Yep. But you also shut down on the 26th. All we do on the 26th is run to the mall to return gifts we don't want and buy gifts for people for the next year -- or if we're lucky -- people we'll see later in the week!

We moved along and I had to get some pictures of the lagoon as it was so beautiful that day:

Continued in Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

Hollidays around the World - Part 2

Our next stop was China:

Here we browsed through the shop for quite a bit.

We had some time until we had to be at the next destination, Norway, for the next storyteller.

Here we heard the story of the julenissen:

This was very cute! I really enjoyed it!

I used the bathrooms here and liked the sign in Norwegian:

More lagoon photography:

Next up was Mexico:

They had the Mariachi band and some dancers:

And at the end there was a piñata for the kids:

We also went on the boat ride in Mexico. It was interesting to see it after we had the Imagineer who designed the refurbishment that added Donald on our cruise in May. So we had heard quite a bit about how it was made and what the storyline was. It definitely gave me a bit more of appreciation for the ride, but I still don’t think it is that great.

[Did we not have FP+ for anything this day?]

After this boat ride we went to go on another one and rode Living with the Land. They had decorated the green houses for Christmas, too:

And then it was time to head over to DHS. We left Epcot via the front entrance and took the bus over. It is really nice that there are two ways to get to DHS from Epcot!

At DHS we had fun enjoying the lights once again. We spent quite some time hunting for the purple cat again:

And I really liked the 101 Dalmatians display:

During the day we had talked about what we wanted to do for dinner and we both liked the idea of going to the restaurant at our resort, the Turf Club. I find eating at your own resort always very relaxing. Michael had eaten there quite a few times for lunch when it was new and had always liked it. They no longer serve lunch there now, but dinner was an option. So, at some point during the afternoon I had gotten us an ADR for the evening. Surprisingly there were not a lot of times available, and they only gave us a 8:50pm reservation. We were fine with that though as it enabled us to stay at DHS until the park closed.

The lights were MUCH more crowded than they had been earlier in the week on EMH night. It wasn't as uncomfortably bad as I've experienced in years past, but it wasn't as pleasant as it had been. I certainly was getting quite hungry! Turf Club has always been one of my 'hidden gems' of WDW dining. It's right there, but no one seems to notice it. I loved when it was open for lunch. When it first opened for a few years it had a great steak on the lunch menu that was Le Cellier quality or better for about half the price.

We drove back to SSR, parked the car at our villa and then walked over to the lobby building where SSR is through the cold. It really had gotten very chilly now that the sun was down. We checked in and had to wait for 5 minutes or so even though the restaurant did not appear very full.

It was FRIGID. By this time, it was likely in the upper 40s with humidity and those great NW winds we get when cold fronts fly through. I was wearing shorts and a hoodie and felt like I wasn't wearing anything. I think that night was the coldest I've felt in FL in the past 4-5 years as it went down to around 40.

We got a really nice table close to the window in the front part of the restaurant and I noticed that this is really not a large restaurant at all!

I decided to try another interesting beer and got a New Belgium Fat Tire:

Once again I was baffled that a craft beer was being served in a can. But the beer was really good!

We had a great server that evening, who was really good at describing different menu items. We had thought about sharing an appetizer and had seen something on the menu called Chef’s Seasonal Salad. We asked about it and the description sounded wonderful!

It kind of was an antipasti platter with salad. This thing was huge and actually a really good deal as it was only 6.99$.

Michael had the Crispy Free-Range Chicken Breast with Three-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese and Green Beans Almondine:

It was great. Terrific meal

I ordered pork loin with pumpkin risotto:

On the current menu there is a spiced rubbed pork loin with mushroom risotto and green beans, but I am pretty sure that mine was pumpkin. I guess they change it out now and then.

I really enjoyed this dish! The pork could have been slightly more moist, but it was not too dry. It had a really flavorfull rub on the outside that added some spice. And the risotto was delicious.

We thought this was all around an excellent meal! But by the end of the meal both of us felt very cold. WE had not noticed it, but the Turf Club is kind of open towards the lounge and the lounge has doors outside. This let a lot of the cold air from outside in there all the time and the room was pretty chilly. By the end of the meal we both were chilled through quite well. It had come so slowly that we had not recognized it at first. But then it suddenly hit us! And we still had to walk back to our villa. Brrr!

Originally we had thought about another late night swim, but we abandoned that thought quickly on the way back. While it sounded nice to be in hot water, the walk to the pool was just not appealing!

Yeah, I thought about driving over to the pool. But it just was so cold the whole idea was not appealing. Some local friends were going to join us, but they had a flight the next morning and I told them to not bother coming over. ...

Up Next: Sorry Katharina!

OK, why are we sorry to Bucky now?

 

[dolphingirl47]

At this point, I wasn't aware yet that the holidays were going to get even worse and that my father was going to have major lung surgery on Christmas Eve.

I am so sorry that your father was so poorly, especially during the holiday season. I hope he is better now.

Or Aulani.

Aulani sounds like a plan. I cannot think of a place I would rather visit.

It was interesting to see it after we had the Imagineer who designed the refurbishment that added Donald on our cruise in May. So we had heard quite a bit about how it was made and what the storyline was. It definitely gave me a bit more of appreciation for the ride, but I still don’t think it is that great.

I missed that talk unfortunately.

And I really liked the 101 Dalmatians display:

This looks amazing.

Michael had the Crispy Free-Range Chicken Breast with Three-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese and Green Beans Almondine:

It was great. Terrific meal

I ordered pork loin with pumpkin risotto:

Both dishes look delicious.

Looks like you had a really chilled out day. I love the holiday storytellers. What a shame that it was so cold though.

Corinna

 

[franandaj]

Our plan was an early start – we wanted to be at Universal for park opening at 9am. But with going to the party the evening before, we knew that we would most likely not make it.

Some of us believe 9 a.m. is still time to be in bed!!!

At home I would potentially agree with Michael, but not at Disney or on vacation!

We quickly found the “secret” entrance into Diagon Alley and went from muggle London to wizard London to make our way over to Gringott’s:

I can't wait to see this for myself! So exciting!

The ride itself was quite amazing. It has a very interesting ride mechanism. If you have seen the Harry Potter films where they take that little train through Gringotts, you can see that this is where they got the inspiration from. I would say it is a mix of The Mummy and Spiderman at Universal, or if you think in WDW terms: of Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. However, the ride sensation if far milder and less jerky than those combinations sound like. But the story is really very intense. I found it pretty scary! Not as scary as another ride that we did that day though. I think most of the thrill in this ride is really more in the story and what you see and less in the motion.

I hope that this means it is less "thrilling" than Forbidden Journey, I hope that I can ride Gringott's without any ill effects.

Once we had our ice cream, it was time to leave London and Diagon Alley and to explore some other areas of the park. Opposite King’s Cross Station you can find the Knight Bus parked:

This area looks really cool!

We did not ride it though as I got nearly sick on it on my first visit to Universal and there were plenty of other things that we wanted to do.

I had problems with the Simpson's ride too, but not as much as FJ.

The ride itself is similar to Spiderman, but it felt more jerky and had less breaks. During Spiderman there are moments when you can catch your breath, here those seemed to be far fewer.

I did OK on Spiderman, but it was a little squirrely. I enjoyed what I've seen of the Transformer movies, but I have never "sat down and watched them". We often have movies going on in the background while I'm online or cooking and they were amusing enough for situations like that.

we decided to go from London to Hogsmeade via the Hogwarts Express. So, we headed to Kings Cross Station and entered it:

This area looks so cool! I can't imagine how cool the train part must be!

We were here for a showing of the Grinchmas show that they offer during the Christmas season.

That sounds cool. I've always liked the Grinch.

Then we passed through the Lost Continent again – which is one of the most beautiful theme park areas, but I have never done anything there attraction wise.

They had a walk through show there that I've heard has closed down, but I kind of enjoyed that. It's a neatly themed area, just not a lot going on.

I really like this ride. I think this and Spiderman still tie as my overall favourite rides at Universal. It is so unique in its ride mechanism and gives you such interesting sensations.

Hmmm, maybe I should try it again, but when we are planning to go back to the room, not when it will take two hours to get my stomach back out of my throat.

We decided to share their tableside guacamole as a starter:

Hey! I just posted the same thing from the other coast!

We then headed back to the car and to SSR where we braved the icy temperatures and headed to the hot tub at the one quiet pool that is not closed down at 10pm. The

I do enjoy the hot tub when it is cool out, but sometimes have to draw the line.

Have you been on the Spiderman ride at IoA? I would compare Forbidden Journey in intensity to that. It is a very unique kind of ride however. The ride vehicle is a "bench" you are sitting on which then gets enchanted to fly around, as if you were on a broomstick. The bench you are sitting on is attached to a robotic arm (made by Kuka, a German company) which in itself is then moving along a track. WDW has a Kuka arm with the Sum of All Thrills attraction at Invention. But there it simulates a roller coaster. This one does simulate a flight path. And the bench you are sitting on can move in all directions, as if it was floating in the air, you don't notice that it is attached to a track anywhere. None of the two Harry Potter rides has huge drops like ToT.

I can tell you that after I rode Forbidden Journey, I felt ill for almost two hours after riding. There is no ride at Disney that could prepare you for this and the "bench" shifts this way and that in every conceivable direction with no warning or indication of where you might move.

I found the fish-dog slightly disturbing!! Maybe it is a mermaid’s pet?

I would be happy to take some of the Gingerbread cones from the stand in your pictures!

My sandwich was brie with apples on multigrain bread and Michael had the classical ham and cheese baguette.

I'll go with Michael's choice on this one.

Glittery Aladdin on sale in the crystal shop in Germany:

Fran would want this.

It was FRIGID. By this time, it was likely in the upper 40s with humidity and those great NW winds we get when cold fronts fly through.

I'll keep this in mind when packing for my December trip.

It kind of was an antipasti platter with salad. This thing was huge and actually a really good deal as it was only 6.99$.

This looks very yummy!

On the current menu there is a spiced rubbed pork loin with mushroom risotto and green beans, but I am pretty sure that mine was pumpkin. I guess they change it out now and then.

Menus at Disney are often seasonal and at that time of the year pumpkin would have been very popular at WDW.

 

[Steppesister]

Fun updates! A tour through EPCOT is always welcome, thank you!

My favorite photo was the Mexico Pav one with the Senorita spreading her pretty dress. Super picturesque.

YOu know, I never really think to consider the resort restaurants very much, and I'm not even sure why. Maybe my perception that they lack the over-the-top theming I want? Maybe I need to look more carefully at those options.... because the food looks really amazing.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I really hope we get to stay there again soon, but I have no idea when that will be…

Hopefully not before we stay at our other home resort. ... Or Aulani.

I can't wait for you to get the chance to stay at Aulani!

I found the fish-dog slightly disturbing!! Maybe it is a mermaid’s pet?

That really is weird. Not sure what Christmas has to do with a fish-dog.

I thought this was so pretty! Here you never have a chance of seeing them outside as it is far too cold in winter. Btw, the German name for poinsettias is Weihnachtsstern, which means “Christmas star”.

We don't see them outside in my hometown either, but they're everywhere indoors.

Epcot is really beautiful with all the Christmas decorations around the World Showcase

Looks great! I can hardly wait to see it for myself!

(even though the word “beer stein” does not make any sense to my German ears, as Stein is the German word for “stone. We just call them Bierkrug, which means beer mug mug. However, the German word for earthenware is Steinzeug (stone stuff) and I guess this is where the English word beer stein comes from)

From now on, I will refer to them as beer mug mugs.

It was very pricey! And Michael said that if he ever is really rich, he wants that for his living room. I did not fully agree with that idea though…

I have rich tastes. Besides, as I was once told, money is simply colored paper.

(I think I still prefer the look of colored paper to this Aladdin...)

Well...that's one way to spend your money, I guess. I'd buy DVC points at Aulani!

It was a really neat story and the only objection I had to it is that the advent calendar that she is showing has 25 doors. Since we celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th, our advent calendars end on the 24th.

Actually, most of our advent calendars end on the 24th as well. Since advent is supposed to be the countdown to Christmas, it doesn't usually include the actual day.

Yep. But you also shut down on the 26th. All we do on the 26th is run to the mall to return gifts we don't want and buy gifts for people for the next year -- or if we're lucky -- people we'll see later in the week!

Lovely shot!

They had decorated the green houses for Christmas, too:

Cool. That's the first time I've seen these.

Turf Club has always been one of my 'hidden gems' of WDW dining. It's right there, but no one seems to notice it.

You don't hear much about it, but I remember my parents really liking their meal here.

Once again I was baffled that a craft beer was being served in a can. But the beer was really good!

Fat Tire is a good choice!

Michael had the Crispy Free-Range Chicken Breast with Three-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese and Green Beans Almondine:

That looks really good.

Originally we had thought about another late night swim, but we abandoned that thought quickly on the way back. While it sounded nice to be in hot water, the walk to the pool was just not appealing!

Yeah, I'm sure the water is warm...but at some point, you have to get out!

Up Next: Sorry Katharina!

 

[dizneeat]

All caught up again, Magdalene!
Took me some time to get through the UO/IOA part as I have not read ONE of the Harry Potter books, nor have I watched the movies. So it took a while to take it all in.

Your tour of Epcot sounds lovely, even though you are brave to listen to the German traditions part. (sorry, but we did the Christmas tour, whatever it is called when we went to WDW for Christmas and the guide started to tell us that ALL Germans hide a pickle in their tree and I had to bite my lip to not say anything.

Dinner at the Turf Club looked really nice, nothing was on the menu when we dined there a few years ago, but we found the food to be pretty nice and it was easy to get a table making an ADR only an hour earlier.

 

[nodnol]

It seems to have become a nice tradition to end a successful day at Universal with a good meal amongst friends!
And I really want to go back there. And I stopped my nth rereading of the Harry Potter Books after The Half-Blood Prince. I guess something to do on vacation? Do you have it in your library?

I'm of course intrigued by your update. I'm afraid to make guesses, as this might reveal that I've forgotten what you already did on that vacation… But it could be mini golf or Kennedy Space Center...

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I've always wanted to hear the storytellers in all the countries in EPCOT. Thanks so much for all the lovely pictures. One day I'll get there in December.
ETA- Oh and wonderful updates. You really lucked out with the lines at Universal.

 

[englishrose47]

Just loved your update on Universal, you have helped immensely with many questions I had about the new Harry Potter part. I can tell you that I LOVED Forbidden Journey, to me it was cross between Dinasaur and Soarin" Kyle and I were the only ones who loved it , the girls and Judy did NOT!!! I haven't done Spiderman , it was closed for renovation the first time I went and broke down as we were in the car the second time !! Now I do NOT like Rollercoasters , do you and Michael think I would be okay with Diagon Alley??? also have not done the Transformers but am thinking it may be like Star Tours in DHS only more intense ??? I can handle the Simpson Ride but the rollercoaster part is very iffy for me , so how would I handle Spiderman??? I am hoping for some good advice her !!!!