So let's talk parks. I used to be a Disney fanatic. Loved everything Disney and never had a desire to visit Universal. Even as a huge Harry Potter fan, when they opened the wizarding world I thought, "too bad it's not at Disney" and then figured I'd visit someday but was in no hurry. Then, I guess, I fell a little out of love with Disney. I guess between the crazy long lines and super expensive hotels and declining service...after a less than stellar 2014 trip that left me feeling "meh" and finally getting my son into the Harry Potter series I was starting to give a Universal vacation some serious thought.
Anyway, I needn't have worried because I find the Universal Parks to be on par with Disney theming wise and an excellent value as well. They have areas that appeal to everyone in my family and if someone doesn't want to ride, the child swap areas are great.
We spent a lot of time at Universal Studio's this time. I think all three of my kids' favorite rides are The Simpson's ride and the Minion Mayhem ride. I lost track of how many times we rode each of those rides. Another big reason we were anxious to get into US:
DD saw this store and it was like she was "home"! During our stay we came away with a variety of HK tattoos, a HK sucker, a HK hat, and HK bookbag, HK ringpops (two bags because DS 7 wanted to bring some home for his little girlfriend at school), HK magnets, an HK x-mas ornament, and an HK travel mug (for me). I know lots of people aren't enthused about this store but we really enjoyed it. All the props and stuff were fun and the staff working there was really friendly and engaging. When DS proudly told the cashier the one bag of ring pops was for his girlfriend she made a big deal out of putting an extra bag in our bag and saying it was a nice unwrinkled one that he can put her present in when he gets home so she can have her own Universal bag.
For all the time we spent at that store we never got to participate in the Hello Kitty meet and greet. DD tried to get in line twice and both times they were just cutting the line off, and every other time we were around there she was never out.
Another new thing we did this year was Animal Actors. My family usually isn't a big "show" family. I can never convince the kids they want to sit still and take a break. However, we timed going into the Animal show for like 5 minutes before it started and it worked out. Oldest DS likes birds so he was excited there would be birds. They have trivia going across the screens that kept the kids engaged and it was just a comfortable fun spot to relax. We all really enjoyed the show and I kind of wish we would have saw it a second time. If you haven't seen it, take the time to check it out, it doesn't disappoint.
We also watched the Horror Make Up show. The kids were iffy on this but they liked it ok. They didn't like the surprise at the end and it was a one and done for us.
DD really likes the superstar parade and we watched it a couple times. It's nice because you can just kind of come upon the parade...no need to stake out a spot and fight a ton of crowds. I think they can do without the Hop characters though....
I have to make mention of something that I really enjoyed in the Springfield area of the park:
I'm one of those people that was sad when Disney got rid of their themed napkins. Universal gives me themed napkins! Sometimes it's the little things. There are tons of great details in Springfield. We really enjoy the artwork in the food area. Me and DS's stared at the mural with all the characters on the wall for quite a while looking at all the different ones and remembering what episodes they were from. Older DS played one of the carnival games in the area with DH and was super excited to pick a little purple panda for DD. I thought that was sweet, vacation brings out the best in the kids sometimes.
The MIB ride was another ride the kids really enjoyed. That one isn't my favorite. I mean it's ok, but I don't feel the need to ride it multiple times. Good thing DH didn't mind riding it more than once
This has been a pretty kid centric post as far as rides are concerned so I guess I will finish this installment with more things the kids enjoyed and my next installment with be on mine and DH's favorites and Diagon Alley!
So the Fivel play area was a hit with the kids. They really enjoyed the water slide and did that multiple times. DH and I were happy to take a break and sit in the shade while they played. It's a good way for them to blow off some steam and then we don't feel guilty making them sit in child swap while we enjoy some of the more thrilling rides. That area also has the Woody Woodpecker coaster which is fun for little ones. We liked riding ET as well. I love the end of the ride when you return to ET's home. So cute.
A few more pics until next time:
. I get a little stressed about not having assigned seats, but I always log on at 24 hours before the flight and going there we had early B's and going home we had mid A's.
It broke my heart!!
. On the other hand he can't get away from me fast enough and doesn't even look back while he runs off to play with the other dogs ...so it's kind of a one sided thing.
