I Like Forbidden Journey, but This Is Ridiculous (March 2016) Updated 6/26 (Last Day)

[Kivara]

We love Margaritaville too, and I love the chicken hat!

JPDC is a must hit for us every time, as youngest DS is really into dinos. If we went w/out kids, I would skip it, as it's kinda blah IMO. But maybe that's because we've done everything there at least 6 times

Although if you go out back, there is a beautiful patio area with nothing there & it's always empty! Nice and peaceful!

 

[rteetz]

Great update!

I am not a huge potter fan but I can always appreciate great theme park lands and attractions, that's one of the reasons I ant to see it in person.

Wasting away in Margaritaville... Looks like a fun time there as well. I'm interested to see how the resort turns out.

 

[macraven]

Rteetz, wait until you are 21 when you can really enjoy M'ville 's great beverages

You'll really love that place more so!

 

[soniam]

Nice update......we love Margaritaville too.......never disappointed us for food and atmosphere. Love their coconut shrimp too!

Not nice getting stuck on a ride, would be awful leaning forward I agree........I've never been to JPDC for some reason........not sure why.

I can't wait until the Mville resort opens in Orlando. It might pull me from WDW resorts some. Being stuck was at least interesting We had skipped Jurassic Park before too. We don't like water rides, but the discovery center is a nice air-conditioned place to sit for a minute.

We love Margaritaville too, and I love the chicken hat!

JPDC is a must hit for us every time, as youngest DS is really into dinos. If we went w/out kids, I would skip it, as it's kinda blah IMO. But maybe that's because we've done everything there at least 6 times

Although if you go out back, there is a beautiful patio area with nothing there & it's always empty! Nice and peaceful!

DS is very creative. We didn't know what a chicken hat was, but the stilt walker did Are you talking about the area with the steps? That was really cool.

Great update!

I am not a huge potter fan but I can always appreciate great theme park lands and attractions, that's one of the reasons I ant to see it in person.

Wasting away in Margaritaville... Looks like a fun time there as well. I'm interested to see how the resort turns out.

Hardrock is really awesome. It will be hard to stay anywhere else at Uni now.

Rteetz, wait until you are 21 when you can really enjoy M'ville 's great beverages

You'll really love that place more so!

The drinks there are awesome. I am craving one right now

 

[soniam]

Day 1 - Mardi Gras Parade - Ouch, That's My Foot!

The Mardi Gras parade was really cool. It was a lot bigger and more involved than I thought it would be. I think there were about 10 floats. They all beautiful and intricate. Of course, they had people throwing beads from the floats too. DS was standing on the curb, so he ended up with a ton of beads. The people near us were getting pretty rambunctious about the beads, and one woman stepped on my foot. She didn't apologize; she might have been a little tipsy. I think it was overboard, considering this wasn't New Orleans. Unfortunately, this was just the first day of our trip, and my foot hurt throughout the rest of it. People seemed to line up pretty early, so we didn't end up with the best view. DH took all of the following pictures by holding the camera above his head and looking at the display. I think they came out fabulous. In addition to the floats, there were motorcycle police and stilt walkers. If you haven't seen it or been to New Orleans for a Mardi Gras parade, then it's definitely worth it. Apparently, if you are an annual pass holder, you can request to be on one of the floats. I think the parade is held every Friday and Saturday night, right before the concert, in Universal Studios, starting sometime in February and running through April. It gives you a lot of chances to see it. The rest of this will just be eye candy. I will have to split this in multiple parts to get all of the pictures

Motorcycle Police






























Next up, Mardi Gras Part Deux

 

[soniam]

Day 1 - Mardi Gras Parade (Part Deux)

More eye candy.































Next up, The Forbidden Chicken Hat

 

[rteetz]

Looks like a lot of fun!

That really sucks about the person stepping on your foot. I would have probably not been very nice to that lady afterwards.

The parade really does look good though, I've seen some videos of it and they sure look like they throw out a ton of beads.

 

[soniam]

Looks like a lot of fun!

That really sucks about the person stepping on your foot. I would have probably not been very nice to that lady afterwards.

The parade really does look good though, I've seen some videos of it and they sure look like they throw out a ton of beads.

It was a lot of fun. We missed it last year, with it being our first time at Universal and not really knowing much about the Mardi Gras celebrations. DS had a great time with all of his beads.

 

[schumigirl]

Nice pictures! Mardi Gras does look like fun........

Shame about your foot. I would have felt slightly better if she had even acknowledged and apologised what she did to your foot........

 

[Kivara]

Yes, I was talking about the JPDC back step area...love the parade pics! Can't wait to hear more about that chicken hat!

 

[soniam]

Nice pictures! Mardi Gras does look like fun........

Shame about your foot. I would have felt slightly better if she had even acknowledged and apologised what she did to your foot........

She probably didn't do it on purpose. She seemed to be completely oblivious to everyone around her. I wasn't the only person that she knocked over. She really wanted those beads. Next time, I might buy a bunch of beads and hand them out to people who promise not to step on my foot

 

[soniam]

Day 1 - Yes, It's Still Day 1 - The Forbidden Chicken Hat

This day seems to have lasted forever. After the parade, we hightailed it to Diagon Alley and Gringott's. As much as a family with a child, a bum foot, and a need to use the restroom can move quickly. The wait wasn't bad, so we did the regular line. We were going down the hallway that leads to the elevators, when a CM stops me. I had DS chicken balloon animal hat looped through my arm. The CM said that I might drop it. I told him I would hold onto it tightly. I thought he was just going to razz me about it; I didn't really take him seriously. He then said that it could pop and scare someone on the ride DS said that Who Know Who was much scarier I said that I would be the most scared if it popped, because I am afraid of popping balloons, which is true The CM said that we could not take it on the ride. I said it wouldn't fit in a locker. He insisted I said that we would ride or not ride as a family. We let DS decide if he wanted to keep it. He said naw, Gringott's is more fun So, in one of my less mature moments, I tossed the balloon animal chicken hat to the side It fell behind the railings near the bank offices. The CM started bending down with difficulty to get it. I did offer to pick it up. Anyway, we proceeded to the next CM. He was curious what had happened and thought the hat would have been fine on the ride Oh well, I guess the other CM was just being a Mr. Grumpy Gills So, that's the end of the forbidden chicken hat. Alas, poor poultry, we knew him well. The rest of the ride was fun and uneventful.

The Infamous Chicken Hat



Sorry for the lack of photos. I took a bunch of nighttime shots of Diagon Alley last year. I guess I thought I didn't need more at night this time, but this year we have our new awesome camera. So, here's a daytime one from this year.





We had to hit the Magical Menagerie next. I had been regretting not getting a stuffed Fawkes since our last trip, a year ago. DS wanted one too, so we bought two stuffed Fawkes. The Phoenix is such a magical symbol. Last year, DS got a Hedwig puppet, which was really neat. I was hoping they would have a t-shirt I would like. DS got a cool Hedwig t-shirt last year. I didn't really like anything, so just the birds.


Fawkes and Frank from Men in Black (A purchase from earlier in the day)



Finally, we hit Weasleys' Wizard Whizzes and the new candy shop in the back. Shocking as it may seem, but we hadn't had any candy yet I hadn't tried any hot butterbeer yet, and I could see the Hopping Pot. DH and DS browsed while I made a bee line. I got a hot butterbeer and a shot of fire whiskey. They won't combine the two; you have to do it yourself. I really liked the hot butterbeer. I tasted it before adding the whiskey. The best description I have read is like a latte or chai. It's unexpectedly creamy. It wasn't cloyingly sweet either. It also seems to have a top layer, but I think it melts into the main part quickly. Once I added the fire whiskey, well, fire made it good I managed to not drink it all before DH got some. He liked it too. DS really wanted a some. I warned him about the whiskey. He took the tiniest sip I have ever seen and almost spit it out Eventually, we would get plain hot butterbeer during the trip for him. He liked it a lot.


Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes



We were very good compared to last year and didn't buy triple digits worth of candy We also bought the newest treat, butterbeer fudge. I had to eat some before even leaving the store. It was good but really sweet. I could only take a bite or two. It's got the consistency of a soft fudge with two layers: the main bottom cream soda portion and the smaller top white layer that's butterscotchy. We picked up a piece to bring home to a friend. I brought a plastic container to store it, and we put it in the fridge. We had our piece in the hotel fridges too. We were still eating on that piece when we got home. It kept really well and still tasted the same. The slowness with which we ate it is indicative of how sweet it is. We also bought fizzing whizzbees (chocolate bees with pop rocks inside), peppermint toads, a chocolate frog for each of us (all 3 contained the Godric Gryffindor card), a cauldron cake (kind of like a really good chocolate cupcake), and tooth-splintering strong mints I wanted some lemon sherbets in an apothecary jar, but they didn't have them. We would have to hit Honeydukes at some point then. Laden with purchases and food, we headed back to the Hard Rock via the parking lot again. Love that short walk

Next, Day 2 Finally Arrives

 

[Kivara]

Loving the trip report so far! As someone who could also buy candy in the triple digits, I'm shocked the Butterbeer fudge was way too sweet (I've not tried it yet), but I have heard that before. I might have to steer clear of that.

It is funny how those Chocolate Frog cards seem to clump together. We have bought several frogs over the years, and had many multiples of Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Finally managed to give away the extra Slytherins, and traded off the extra Ravenclaws for a Hufflepuff. I did break down and buy a Gryffindor off Ebay

 

[samheatherwhite]

Great report so far! The first time we visited Universal we bought 5 chocolate between our group. We ended up with 4 Ravenclaws and a Dumbledore!

 

[soniam]

Loving the trip report so far! As someone who could also buy candy in the triple digits, I'm shocked the Butterbeer fudge was way too sweet (I've not tried it yet), but I have heard that before. I might have to steer clear of that.

It is funny how those Chocolate Frog cards seem to clump together. We have bought several frogs over the years, and had many multiples of Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Finally managed to give away the extra Slytherins, and traded off the extra Ravenclaws for a Hufflepuff. I did break down and buy a Gryffindor off Ebay

I would still try the fudge, especially if you like butterbeer. I did like it. However, in September, I started a no sugar diet (Whole30). I hadn't been following the diet well since the holidays and before the trip, but things are still a lot sweeter to me than they used to be. I think the fudge is sweeter/more concentrated than the frozen and hot butterbeers. I haven't had the regular one, so maybe it's about like that.

Great report so far! The first time we visited Universal we bought 5 chocolate between our group. We ended up with 4 Ravenclaws and a Dumbledore!

I think next time I will buy the frogs at different places/times. Also, I am going to take our extra cards to either pass out or trade. I hate to throw them away.

 

[rteetz]

The chicken hat story is pretty funny. Even with the lack of photos, the ones you have are great. Looks like a great time. I need to check out universal some day.

 

[soniam]

The chicken hat story is pretty funny. Even with the lack of photos, the ones you have are great. Looks like a great time. I need to check out universal some day.

It's really great. We are very big Disney fans, but we love Universal. Plus, I think the rides cater to older kids and adults better. The parks are smaller, and it's much easier to walk between the parks, City Walk, and the hotels. It's more relaxing than WDW in a lot of ways.

 

[vinotinto]

Looking forward to Day 2 (Hint, hint, get writing! )

 

[RocketCityMama]

Great report so far! I can't wait to try the butterbeer fudge! I love fudge anyway! Such a shame about the chicken hat Should have asked the TM to wear it until you got back! lol

 

[soniam]

Looking forward to Day 2 (Hint, hint, get writing! )

I know, right

Great report so far! I can't wait to try the butterbeer fudge! I love fudge anyway! Such a shame about the chicken hat Should have asked the TM to wear it until you got back! lol

Thanks. He looked like he wasn't very fun, so I don't think he would have worn it I felt bad making DS make the decision, but it wasn't really fair for just one of us, DH or myself, to not get to ride. I knew DH would have insisted, and he is already so giving. The hat probably wouldn't have survived long anyway.