Can We Do Magic Now? A 2016 TR Adventure. *Complete and DL Paris TR Link Added

[afwdwfan]

Aside from enjoying Germany in the spring and surviving solo parenting again, there’s been another exciting adventure in the works (trip-wise), but I’ll keep that one close to the vest for a little while longer. I will say, though, in order to do something fantastic, I’ll have to go through something terrifying.

Well, I'm certainly intrigued...

My biggest complaint about that area was how congested it was! It was as if Universal wasn’t expecting such a huge turnout; the streets had to be half the size of Disney’s and all the shops were wall to wall people.

It is definitely tight... especially around the lockers by Dragon Challenge.

Alex didn’t realize the price until afterwards, otherwise even he would have passed on that. He felt so ridiculous for that stunt that he kept the goshdarn bottle as a memento.

And in case you were curious, we had bought a 32 ounce water from Disney when we were there for our day trip and it cost us 4 dollars. We literally paid double at Universal.

For water.

Ugh.

Water is always overpriced... I just don't get it. There's no expense in it to speak of and yet they can charge absurd amounts. You could literally buy a whole case of water in the store for less than 1 bottle there.

My group walked and walked and walked and didn’t encounter anybody else waiting. There were entire spots we had completely to ourselves, where we could take pictures to our heart’s content.

I'm sure the Harry Potter fan in the group must have enjoyed that.

The last thing we saw was the Sorting Hat and then we were at the boarding area. There was a Team Member standing at the merge point who directed the kids and accompanying adults to a small room off to the left. It was a little chaotic at that point because up until then we didn’t know what was about to happen, so when he shooed us in, I asked if I could follow the babies and then come right back out. The guy didn’t mind, so I ran inside to help my in-laws get settled and dropped off my bag, then I rushed back out with Alex. The Team Member didn’t make us wait at all before sending us to our vehicle.

Seems like a pretty simple process.

As you continued to discuss the system there, I'm not 100% sure how it is supposed to work. We've only gone there once with the kids... because, you know, not much for them to do there anyway. When we went my parents were with us and I get my screen induced motion sickness from him. He won't even get on those rides, so the kids just stayed with him. I'd say you just found a generous team member willing to hook you up... but that's just my guess.

When our turn ended, we returned to the baby room where it was my sister in-law’s turn. She didn’t want to go alone, so I told Alex to go again. And then when they came back, my sister in-law went back to the Team Member working and asked if we wanted to ride again if we would need to go all the way back out and return. The guy shook his head and told us to go ahead.


So my sister inlaw and I rode another time. All three of us got to go on Forbidden Journey back to back.

Nice! I mean if you are a big fan of that ride.

Unfortunately, that ride is not great for that. We all felt a little quesy afterwards, because it’s extremely jerky and then the 3D starts to hurt the eyes.

Yeah, I totally couldn't do it. By about 2/3 of the way through that ride, I'm ready for it to end so I can get as far away from it as possible. I couldn't even think about going back to back.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm excited to hear what trip adventure you're planning ... whenever you choose to share that with us.

I'm super jealous of your Forbidden Journey experience. We had to wait almost two hours (granted, this was during the first spring break after Hogsmeade opened, so it was a little busy). And we only rode once (although I could see how repeated rides could be a little nausea & headache inducing).
Even though I've only ridden it once and I've done most things at Disney many times ... Forbidden Journey is still my favorite ride in Orlando. I love it. Although I think the castle is just as much a part of that as the ride itself. You're inside Hogwarts. How cool is that??

 

[amazingact21]

Hmmm interested to hear your news!
I've never done the rider swap on that ride but single rider is pretty awesome! Yes, its SO congested in Hogsmeade and the shops, it was even moreso before Diagon Alley opened up. I had trouble with the City Select, I can't imagine a double wide going through those shops! LOL at the gillywater!

I can't even imagine what that area looked like before Diagonal Alley opened. I was really wishing we had our City Mini rather than our double. And actually, since moving to Europe, we barely touch our double stroller. The only times we bring it downstairs is when we are using it jog with. Otherwise, we put the kids in carriers or use our small single stroller. I got spoiled in America with all the wide streets!

I'm hoping and praying for milder weather when we go next month. Living in Louisiana I'm use to heat and humidity, but if we could get a brake that would be even better.

That's just too much.




Wow! Some day I'll see it.
A little foreshadowing?
Not sure if I could do it even once. I did Star Tours once and that was it.

It's great you're enjoying you visit so much. I'm looking forward to more.

When next month are you visiting? I love going to Disney in May, but I feel like each year it is hotter than the year before. So I really hope this May isn't as bad as previous years.
Hah, no foreshadowing!

I wish I were one of those people that could ride Star Tours and Mission:Space over and over again. But my max is 1, and even then it's a stretch. I usually on go on ST every 3-4 years, and I haven't been back on MS in probably 6. Just too much for me!

This kind of happened to us to, and for no discernible reason. I have a brain condition and can't ride FJ anymore, but it was the fiance's first time doing it and I wanted to go through the queue with him if possible. They made some kind of special exception to let us go through the accessibility line or something since I couldn't ride, and the team member told us every time we saw a new team member just to tell them, "I'm not riding, and so-and-so sent us here!" ...um...ok! But we had a whole queue to ourselves to look at the castle stuff, and Nathan got on the ride almost immediately. I chalked it up to luck, I guess??

I'm really glad to hear this happened to someone else!! I don't know what that specific line was called, because it seemed very "exception to the rule" but it was nice to have. I guess people with kids and/or people that just want to stand in the queue with someone doesn't pop up very often in Universal. I'm sure part of the reason is people not knowing they could ask or even giving it a shot.

 

[amazingact21]

Well, I'm certainly intrigued...

It is definitely tight... especially around the lockers by Dragon Challenge.
Water is always overpriced... I just don't get it. There's no expense in it to speak of and yet they can charge absurd amounts. You could literally buy a whole case of water in the store for less than 1 bottle there.

I'm sure the Harry Potter fan in the group must have enjoyed that.

Seems like a pretty simple process.

As you continued to discuss the system there, I'm not 100% sure how it is supposed to work. We've only gone there once with the kids... because, you know, not much for them to do there anyway. When we went my parents were with us and I get my screen induced motion sickness from him. He won't even get on those rides, so the kids just stayed with him. I'd say you just found a generous team member willing to hook you up... but that's just my guess.

Nice! I mean if you are a big fan of that ride.

Yeah, I totally couldn't do it. By about 2/3 of the way through that ride, I'm ready for it to end so I can get as far away from it as possible. I couldn't even think about going back to back.

Well, FL water is nasty, so I get them taking advantage of charging a ridiculous price for bottled. When I lived in Central FL, no matter how many times I drank from the tap, I'd still end up sick. So, I go to Disney knowing I'm going to lug a few cases of water in the car with me.

I have no idea if what we did was standard or not. I think not, though, based on what happened later in the day. But I won't lie, since there was absolutely nothing for the toddlers to do (or so it felt like) I kind of appreciated not having to have them stand around outside while we waited in a long line.

I'm excited to hear what trip adventure you're planning ... whenever you choose to share that with us.

I'm super jealous of your Forbidden Journey experience. We had to wait almost two hours (granted, this was during the first spring break after Hogsmeade opened, so it was a little busy). And we only rode once (although I could see how repeated rides could be a little nausea & headache inducing).
Even though I've only ridden it once and I've done most things at Disney many times ... Forbidden Journey is still my favorite ride in Orlando. I love it. Although I think the castle is just as much a part of that as the ride itself. You're inside Hogwarts. How cool is that??

Yikes, two hours is rough. Although, of all the rides at WDW and Universal, I think if I had to wait that long for a ride, I'd want to do it at Forbidden Journey. I mean, there's worse ways to pass two hours of your time than looking around the inside of Hogwarts! I would easily go back to Universal just to see the castle again. (And drink Butterbeer, of course.)

 

[amazingact21]

April 24 Part 4:


I think the three of us who rode Forbidden Journey back to back needed a break before we tried any more rides, and Evie was starting to get really crabby since she refused to eat at lunch. Therefore, my sister in law pulled up her park app again and tried to find a baby care center located in the park.

Nothing was showing up.
I knew there had to be one, so Alex stopped and asked a Team Member who told us it was located inside the First Aid building.

Okay.
That sort of makes sense?
I mean, the ones in Disney are usually right next door, so I could see the jump.

When Alex and I walked inside the building, there was a guy behind a desk who was in charge of making sure people signed in and wrote down what they were there for. I walked up and asked him for the nursing room, and he started apologizing to me.

“Sorry, m’am, I just let a lady back there. I’m sure it’ll only be a few minutes.” This was followed by a million more flustered “sorries.” The guy was a nurse but he was acting super embarrassed by my request.

The Butterbeer and HP universe had put me in a mellow mood, so I wasn’t sweating the small stuff. Alex, my brother in law, and I sat down in the chairs in the make shift waiting room and began to wait.

This was 100 percent the biggest difference between Universal and Walt Disney World. At Disney, every park has a baby center with rooms for changing the kiddos, rooms for feeding them, and some even have rooms for playing. There’s also some kind of nursing area. In Magic Kingdom and Epcot, it’s a big room with recliners. In DHS and AK, it’s a single room but there’s two of them.
And even if they are occupied, you’re at least in a building with lots of couches and chairs and everyone else in there are parents who really couldn’t give a fig what you’re doing.

At Universal, though, they literally just have the one room for parents. Well, one room for a mom. It’s tiny and not large enough to comfortably accommodate both parents and any additional kids. I want to say there was a changing table in the room, as well, but that wasn’t clearly advertised and so I didn’t bring the diaper bag back with me.

I get that Universal doesn’t see as many kids as Disney, but this really surprised me. It was as if babies were a rare occurrence and even then it almost felt like the room was a legal checkpoint. As in, “Here’s our baby room JUST IN CASE someone needs it.”

Perhaps that’s why the nurse at the desk was so flustered. Maybe he never had to take someone back to the nursing station and had no idea how to handle a sudden influx of mothers.



Evie was being a good sport about everything. And us adults were cherishing the air conditioning. Despite it being a gorgeous day, the sunshine was warm and it felt good to get a respite in a cool, quiet seat.

After ten minutes of waiting, another male nurse walked up to the original fellow. He was going to relieve him so he could take a lunch, but the guy didn’t want to leave me still sitting there. He conferred with his partner and then he called me over.

“M’am, I’m so sorry for the delay. I hate this for you. I talked to my partner and we’re going to take you back to an examination room. I promise it’ll have doors you can close and nobody will bother you. I promise.”

Oh. Okay.
So he walked me back through what looked like a mini hospital (it was kind of cool to see that area without needing a medical reason to be back there.) and then sat me down in a very average looking exam room. It was almost identical to the ones you see at any given clinic.
The guy was nice as could be, but he stood around for five minutes apologizing about not having the room available. I appreciated his customer service – the guy was going way beyond his job description here – but it got to the point where I just wanted him to leave so I could get to the task at hand.
When I was finished and had walked back to the front, the person in the baby room still hadn’t left. I was really glad they found an empty room for me.

Back outside, my sister in law and Landon had found something to keep themselves entertained.







The “talking” fountain in front of the Sinbad show had hooked Landon. The fountain knew my kid’s name and would ask him questions; he’d also play clips of music and make jokes with other guests. Landon had a blast listening to him, and we ended up giving Landon a handful of coins to throw in the water.


Who would have thought that the two best parts of Universal Studios for Landon would be the interactive wands and the water fountain?

My group headed back into Hogsmeade once we tore Landon away from his new buddy and explored some of the more popular shops. We perused Honeydukes, watched the wand selection ceremony, glanced at all the wands inside Ollivander’s, and tried to see as much as we could from the streets.


f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


I wanted to like all the shops and little touches that made the place so special, but to be honest, it was a madhouse everywhere. People were running into our stroller left and right, there were five other hands trying to grab the same thing as you off the shelves, and I was in constant fear I’d lose Landon to the mobs. It was difficult to enjoy everything when I was suffocating in the mass of humanity. Universal severely underestimated how popular Hogsmeade was going to be.

Then again, I think having the kids added an unnecessary layer of stress to the situation. If I wasn’t worried about them getting carted away or someone dropping a trinket on their head, I probably would have been able to look around more and wouldn’t have been so stressed.

So. Lesson learned.

Universal and kids.
Not the best combo.

The tickets Alex and I bought were the special military ones where you “Pay for one day and get two free” and they had the park to park option included. This was essential for the two of us because what trip to the WWoHP is complete without riding the Hogwarts Express?



The wait for the attraction was 30 minutes, but in all honesty it did not feel long. The walkway up to the station was very quiet, and we were allowed to have our waters while we waited. When we made it to the boarding area, we were the first group to be on the next train, so we managed to get a corral right at the front and with nobody else around us for a few minutes.




Like every little boy on the boards, Landon was excited to go on the train. Any form of transportation is a win in his book.
It still is.

You should have seen him on the plane ride to Rome. This kid is a handful in regards to EVERYTHING, but at the airport he was a completely different kid. He wanted to make sure he was on his absolute best behavior so he didn’t mess up his chance to ride a plane.
I would fly with Landon any day of the week, which is saying a lot when you’re talking about a 4 year old.

Okay, getting back on track…



This was right after we arrived and were the only ones there. The way the trains work is, at Hogsmeade, the machine pulls up and stops. Everyone debarks and then new guests climb into the cars and find seats. A Team Member takes any wheelchairs or strollers and stores them in a holding location throughout the journey. Which means up until boarding time the kids can stay in their seats.

Hallelujah!

It’s like Univeersal’s version of Kilaminjaro Safari.

Babies might not have a play room in the parks, but at least they can be comfortable in the train queue.

The Hogwarts Express was exactly how I pictured it in my mind as a kid, and therefore I took about a million pictures of the train as it was backing out of the station.








Throughout my picture taking frenzy, other guests had began piling into the lines next to us, and one family in particular stuck out to me. It was a mother, her two kids, and her mom – the grandmother. The kids were around 12 and 10, and they would not let up on the poor grandmother.
The lady, you see, was decked out in full Harry Potter garb. Robes, scarf, tie, wand, everything. She had a little point and shoot camera and was snapping away at everything (like me) all while saying HP phrases. She’d go “lumos” at the lights and “accio train” as it was approaching. And the kids were so exasperated with her.

They kept asking her to stop.

She was embarrassing them. She was embarrassing herself. She was being ridiculous.

I managed to catch that she was a 5th grade teacher and was taking photos in order to decorate her class next year in Harry Potter theme, and she wasn’t having any of her grandkids’ nonsense.
When they told her, “Magic’s not real you know. We’re kids and we know that.”
Her response was a smile, a shrug, and a “I believe in magic. I’m sorry you don’t. Maybe one day you will.”

I felt bad that the lady was catching so much grief from those kids. She told us that this was her first time in the parks, and she’d been saving up for the vacation for years. It had been her dream to see the WWoHP since she first heard about the parks, and she was appreciating every second.
What amazed me was how unaffected she was by her family’s pessimism. She was having the time of her life, and she could have cared less what they thought. This was her day, and she was soaking it up.

I want to be that woman when I grow up.

She was doing what made her happy, and she genuinely did not care if her loved ones understood. To have that kind of peace and confidence…I guess since my in-laws and friends give Alex and I such immense grief for going to Disney, I respected her not-give-a-fig attitude.

It took about fifteen minutes for another train to arrive.







And then another ten for it to stop and let everybody off.

Eventually, it was our turn to board. The interior where the hallway and all the cars are was very dark so I put away the camera. Besides, the special effects on the vehicle would have been difficult to capture, so I decided to sit back and enjoy them.
I thought they were fun, but I was a little surprised at how short the ride lasted. I mean, I knew the parks were side by side, but I guess I expected a longer trip. It felt like we’d just sat down when the train came to a stop.

The only consolation to being finished with the Hogwarts Express was that we were entering Kings Cross station headed to Diagonal Alley.
More Harry Potter to explore!



Up Next…No Underage Magic for you, Mister

 

[toony]

Though I'm not a big writer, I'm still reading along and enjoy your TR. Love your humor and writing style! May I guess the terrifying thing? Is it flying to Florida, WDW alone with two kiddos?

 

[vamassey1]

When next month are you visiting? I love going to Disney in May, but I feel like each year it is hotter than the year before. So I really hope this May isn't as bad as previous years.

Danielle graduates May 16th and we're headed to DW May 20th -28th. We're going to be in AK for Pandora's opening day. I hope it's not too hot.

I wish I were one of those people that could ride Star Tours and Mission:Space over and over again. But my max is 1, and even then it's a stretch. I usually on go on ST every 3-4 years, and I haven't been back on MS in probably 6. Just too much for me!

I've never ridden MS and Star Tours only once. Fingers crossed the Pandora ride isn't too much like Star Tours and more like Soarin'.

Evie was being a good sport about everything. And us adults were cherishing the air conditioning. Despite it being a gorgeous day, the sunshine was warm and it felt good to get a respite in a cool, quiet seat.

What a sweet baby. I'm glad the adults got to cool off too.

Who would have thought that the two best parts of Universal Studios for Landon would be the interactive wands and the water fountain?

It's always the simple things kids enjoy, like the empty box on Christmas Day.

Universal and kids.
Not the best combo.

I've never been and always wondered what it was like for little one. The new commercial Universal has makes more sense now. More fun for older kids.

Like every little boy on the boards, Landon was excited to go on the train. Any form of transportation is a win in his book.
It still is.

Yep boys and planes, trains and automobiles.

It’s like Univeersal’s version of Kilaminjaro Safari.

As you were describing it this was the exact thought I had.

I want to be that woman when I grow up.

Me too! Good for her.

 

[SarahDisney]

I know that Universal isn't super kid-friendly, but I'm very surprised that they only have one baby care room. I'm glad they were able to find you a place to nurse, but still ... it's a little surprising.

I love that Landon got so excited about all of the interactive stuff! This is probably totally creepy, but I always love seeing little kids at the parks who are so excited about the things that adults may just skip or not spend much time on. It's like a reminder that sometimes the little things, like talking to a fountain, can be just as fun as the "big" things.

I'm super jealous of that really excited grandmother staying positive despite her family's pessimism. I wish I could do that. I love that she still believes in the magic. I'm guessing she's an awesome teacher and her students love her.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Sorry not to have been commenting much but life has been busy, busy , busy! I've been loving all your updates and Landon's smile is simply priceless as he chats to the fountain and does his magic. We visited universal 4/5 years ago and like you found it to be crazy busy and hard to get around without feeling you were bulldozing through the crowds. Seems crazy that it was such a big deal to find you a spot at the babycare center but I'm glad you got to enjoy some air conditioning and that Evie got fed eventually.
I loved the Hogwarts Express and like you wished it lasted longer. Good for Grandma enjoying herself but shame on her grandkids for being mean. I would be so cross if my kids did that to my mum and I'd be having serious words with them. Hate it when people try to spoil others fun but I'm really glad she didn't let them. I've long since given up caring what people think of us going to WDW so often and I simply point out that as it's our money we can spend it however we like and that's that!

 

[amazingact21]

Though I'm not a big writer, I'm still reading along and enjoy your TR. Love your humor and writing style! May I guess the terrifying thing? Is it flying to Florida, WDW alone with two kiddos?

You are good. That was a spectacular guess.

Danielle graduates May 16th and we're headed to DW May 20th -28th. We're going to be in AK for Pandora's opening day. I hope it's not too hot.

I've never ridden MS and Star Tours only once. Fingers crossed the Pandora ride isn't too much like Star Tours and more like Soarin'.

I've never been and always wondered what it was like for little one. The new commercial Universal has makes more sense now. More fun for older kids.

Yep boys and planes, trains and automobiles.

As you were describing it this was the exact thought I had.

Me too! Good for her.

That's exciting! It's gotta be cool to be there for the opening of anything Disney. To be able to say, "I was there."
Anddd....perhaps our paths will cross at some point that week.

I know that Universal isn't super kid-friendly, but I'm very surprised that they only have one baby care room. I'm glad they were able to find you a place to nurse, but still ... it's a little surprising.

I love that Landon got so excited about all of the interactive stuff! This is probably totally creepy, but I always love seeing little kids at the parks who are so excited about the things that adults may just skip or not spend much time on. It's like a reminder that sometimes the little things, like talking to a fountain, can be just as fun as the "big" things.

I'm super jealous of that really excited grandmother staying positive despite her family's pessimism. I wish I could do that. I love that she still believes in the magic. I'm guessing she's an awesome teacher and her students love her.

I was really surprised that Universal didn't have a baby care center. I guess that really goes to show how few parents of young kids go to the parks.

Aw, I don't think that's creepy at all. It's refreshing, sometimes, to see kids having fun and enjoying the little things in life. Reminds us adults to put everything into perspective.

Sorry not to have been commenting much but life has been busy, busy , busy! I've been loving all your updates and Landon's smile is simply priceless as he chats to the fountain and does his magic. We visited universal 4/5 years ago and like you found it to be crazy busy and hard to get around without feeling you were bulldozing through the crowds. Seems crazy that it was such a big deal to find you a spot at the babycare center but I'm glad you got to enjoy some air conditioning and that Evie got fed eventually.
I loved the Hogwarts Express and like you wished it lasted longer. Good for Grandma enjoying herself but shame on her grandkids for being mean. I would be so cross if my kids did that to my mum and I'd be having serious words with them. Hate it when people try to spoil others fun but I'm really glad she didn't let them. I've long since given up caring what people think of us going to WDW so often and I simply point out that as it's our money we can spend it however we like and that's that!

I hope things haven't been too crazy for you. I completely understand, though. We all get swamped with day to day stuff!
I agree with your money point. If it makes us happy, and we're capable of doing it, then who is anyone else to judge?

 

[vamassey1]

That's exciting! It's gotta be cool to be there for the opening of anything Disney. To be able to say, "I was there."
Anddd....perhaps our paths will cross at some point that week.

Ok, you have to tell me! We have to meet up.

 

[amazingact21]

April 24th Part 5:


I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but Universal did a spectacular job with the theming in its Harry Potter areas. When I stepped off the train at what was intended to be King’s Cross, I was blown away by how authentic the station looked.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jv9gPW]f1 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr[/URL]


f2 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


I ran up to Alex and pointed to one of the signs.

“You owe me a trip to the real London in a few years.”

Alex chuckled.

He was fully aware that I wasn’t spending the next three years in Germany without a trip to the U.K. at some point. Naturally, we had no clue we’d be in the city not 6 months later!

Life is funny that way.


The group of us walked outside and spotted the Knight Bus not too far away. Time to go say hello to good ol' Stan Shunpike.



The Team Member playing Stan was phenomenal. He played the part with gusto; reminding Landon he wasn’t allowed to use magic since he was underage, talking about Muggles roaming about, and bantering with the shrunken head in the window.

This guy knew his stuff.





My inlaws turned us away from the bus and to the street ahead.

f3 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr

Ah.

I see house numbers 10, 13, 14….where was 12?

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jvbYtk]f4 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr[/URL]



Hah! There it was. Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Complete with Kreacher the house elf glaring out.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jvdmtM]f5 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr[/URL]



We all needed to reapply some sunscreen and drink some more water. It was late afternoon and there wasn’t a lot of shade in that part of Universal. It didn’t take us long to do those things, but somehow we all ended up sitting on a curb and resting for several minutes.




There was nothing spectacular about that stretch of time, but it was a highlight nonetheless. The adults recapped what we’d experienced so far while the kids played around. Nobody outright said it, but I think all of us were thinking that the day had gone better than anyone could have ever expected. I have no doubt Leslie and Eddie were prepared for us to take over and not listen to their advice. And honestly, there was a tiny part of Alex and I that were afraid we would do that too.

Sometimes, it can be hard traveling around with people who don’t have kids, because they’re not in the parent mindset. What they feel might be a good idea could actually be terrible for a child and their routine. This would not have been the first, second, third…fifteenth time we would have had to completely scrap the siblings’ plans because it didn’t align with Landon and Evie’s moods.

Surprisingly, though, everything had been going smoothly. There hadn’t been any arguments, fussing; Alex and I had agreed to every single thing the two other adults suggested, which was making for an easygoing day.

Evie got to hold on to the interactive wand for a little while:


Gosh, I miss that little baby phase! She was so chunky and sweet back then.

My sweet little Muggle…



When we were all done relishing in how fun it was to be hanging out together, Alex and I stopped by 12 Grimmauld Place one more time in order to get a family shot in front of the house.

This was the best we got:



This kind of sums up my family pretty well. Landon’s always acting silly, and Evie is forever shooting someone a dirty look.

Not much has changed in that regard…


We also stopped back at the Knight Bus, because Evie and I were missing from the earlier photo.

This Stan was nice, but not nearly as good as the previous guy!



As we were walking away, I remember I pulled my sister in-law aside and thanked her for taking so many pictures for me. You guys are all too aware that usually one parent is not in photographs because they are usually the ones taking them. Unless you have Photopass at Disney or are brave enough to talk to a random stranger and ask a favor of them, your pictures aren’t all complete. But Leslie had been fantastic all day, reminding us to grab photos together and really making us feel like we had our own personal VIP tour guides.

Seriously.

No need for maps, people snapshotting those special moments, and always having someone tell us little tidbits of information…it was invaluable.



There was one more thing I wanted to see before we went into Diagon Alley.



I needed to step inside the red phone booth and give the Ministry of Magic a call!


I picked up this tidbit of information on the Universal edition of the DIS Unplugged and thought it was really neat. It was one of those details that make the WWoHP what it is. No stone went unturned. No corner left unmarked.

The company really did take the term immersive and redefine it.

It reminded me a lot of the Animal Kingdom park, where no matter how many times I visit, I still find new details that wow me.

I’ll be honest, now that I’ve seen what’s possible, I have high expectations for Pandora and Star Wars and Toy Story land. I’m not a huge fan of any of those franchises, in particular. (I enjoyed all the films, I just wouldn’t call myself a huge follower.) But I feel like if Disney accomplishes what Universal did with Harry Potter, it won’t matter.

Like HP or not…there is still a plethora of “little things” to check out and entertain yourself with.

I let Landon listen to the operator, and by the time he was finished there was a line of people waiting for their turn. So I had to hang up and leave.

Boo.

But I’m sure it was great…


To get to Diagon Alley, you had to walk through Universal’s version of a brick wall. This dumped you right in the middle of the street with a dead-ahead view of the dragon on top of Gringotts. On one hand, the wow factor involved in that was remarkable; it in no way compares to Cinderella’s Castle on Main St. but it gave off that vibe. You’re walking, walking, and then BAM! There it is.

The downside to that is everyone and their brother stops right at the opening to take their photos. So instead of rounding the corner and walking right into that new world, you actually turn into the street and are hit with a wall of people blocking your way.

And if that didn’t pose enough of a problem, there were also a stream of guests trying to leave that made moving even more of a challenge.

I get it, guys. The dragon’s cool.


But you have literally the entire street to take pictures.

There’s really not a bad view of the creature.

Just walk the twenty feet forward before stopping.

That’s my two cents…


We somehow managed to shimmy the stroller off to the right and walked towards Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

f6 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr




Where it was much less congested, and we could grab our own pics.




Leslie said that the dragon breathes fire every ten minutes (at least that’s what I think it was, don’t quote me on that) and so we stood around and waited to see the show.

Time ticked by and nothing happened.

Earlier when we were all sitting around, we’d all formed a game plan of sorts for the rest of the afternoon. None of us were really wanting to go into any more shops with the stroller, and we knew we had all of tomorrow left to explore. So Leslie and Eddie recommended we just pop in to Diagon Alley to get a look, let him buy us each a wand, ride anything on the Universal side we wanted to, and then head to Citywalk for dinner.

Amazingly enough, this plan was really easy to formulate. You’d think with four adults, nothing would be agreed upon, but it all kind of flowed together nicely. I was impressed.

It was because of those plans that we were trying to see the dragon once and then move on.

But alas, it never happened!


Eddie knew of a side street that sold the souvenir wands and was way less crowded than Ollivander’s, so we all headed there. My younger brother had gotten me a Hermione Granger wand when he visited the park for GradNight, so this time I got a Severus Snape one and Alex chose Sirius Black.

And in case you were wondering…my husband is a huge nerd and needed to display them on our wall.

We had some wood from a computer desk that did not survive the move over that Alex used to make our little board.


Notice there’s room for two more?


When my father in-law was here visiting he came up to me one morning and asked, “So what’s with the decorative chopsticks on the wall?”

So now that’s what I refer to them as, much to Alex’s irritation…


Once we had our gifts, we left Diagon Alley and walked towards the rest of the park. This was the only side I’d ever been to previously, and I vaguely recalled liking the Men in Black attraction. I asked Leslie if we could see what the wait time for it looked like, and when we saw it was only about fifteen minutes we decided to ride.

This time, the Team Member at the entrance told us to get in the normal queue with the kids and there would be another member along the way that would send us to the rider swap room.

So, obviously, either what happened at Forbidden Journey was a fluke or when the regular line isn’t that long they don’t bother with a secondary route.

Who knows…







The best part about this ride experience occurred while in line. My group walked into a room where it looked like there was supposed to be a Team Member working, but nobody was there. So we kept walking.

And that room was leading us right to the loading dock with the ride vehicles.

We were getting close to the front of the line.

Where the heck was the swap room?

Alex and I were beginning to get really confused.

And people were shooting us very weird looks.

Looks that said, “Why in the world do these people have a baby on the ride?!”

Something was amiss.

I looked back to the doorway and sure enough, a Team Member was now standing at what was an empty podium.

“Guys, I think that’s where we were supposed to split up.”

Yeah.


So back my brood walks, past all these hilarious stares of fellow riders, all the way to the Team Member, who looks at us like we had three heads when we explained the situation.

“Um, yes, guys, the baby room is off to the right here. One of you will need to take the kids that way while the rest return to the line here.”

The guy said this to me like I wouldn’t understand basic rules. Luckily, Alex managed to casually reply with, “Well, if someone was working here like I assume they are supposed to be, they would have been able to tell us that.”


It was a weird situation that was unfortunately made worse when we discovered the little waiting area overlooked the ride vehicles departing. Landon was able to stand up against the railing and watch as people were sent off onto the attraction, and he kept asking me when his turn would arrive.

He was very upset that he got to watch other people ride and not him, and this only became more cruel when Alex and Eddie met up with us and Leslie and I got to leave. Landon had to watch as we waited in line, boarded a car, and then headed off through a tunnel.

Poor kid just didn’t understand why he wasn’t getting to ride ANYTHING. He was hot, frustrated, and becoming very hungry.

It was time to head to CityWalk for dinner.


Leslie and I walked up to the NBC Sports Grill and checked out their kid’s menu. When we saw it had plenty of items Landon would eat, we made the call not to look elsewhere. Remember, all I’d had so far were those three little pasties at lunch, so Landon wasn’t the only one starving.

My hangry level was returning. And I was feeling a tiny bit guilty over Landon’s predicament. The poor guy did not get on a single ride and was forced to sit in his stroller while the adults walked through shop after shop.

Not a very fun day for a 3 year old.


It was only five o’clock when we walked up and asked for a table, but we still ended up with a twenty minute wait.




I don’t remember much from the dinner except we all ordered burgers and I devoured mine. Usually, I’m one of the last to finish my meal at the table, but this time I was first. I barely tasted it.

I also remember our server had some issues. She forgot everyone’s subsitutions and messed up the discounts on the checks, but after we were finished with the meal she told us that it was only her second day working there. So, we cut her some slack.

Dinner complete, Alex and I took the kids back to the room and got them ready for bed. Eddie and Leslie ran out to a local Italian ice shop they really enjoy and brought back two desserts for us.


It was an early night, but just like everything else that day, that change was kind of nice. Sometimes, shaking traditions up and changing pace can be refreshing. I know it sure was for us during our Universal stay.


Up Next…More Butterbeer!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Brilliant update. Love the family photos and your descriptions of them. Evie's wee face when she's playing with the wand would melt the hardest of hearts . What a gorgeous smile, though I have to confess her "dirty looks" make me smile!
I agree that the set up for the men in black ride seems a bit weird and mean to make wee ones watch others ride when they can't Why would they do that?? All in all a great family day out

 

[vamassey1]

The Team Member playing Stan was phenomenal. He played the part with gusto; reminding Landon he wasn’t allowed to use magic since he was underage, talking about Muggles roaming about, and bantering with the shrunken head in the window.

This guy knew his stuff.

I love it when characters are spot on and interact with people.

Hah! There it was. Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Complete with Kreacher the house elf glaring out.

So cool!

Surprisingly, though, everything had been going smoothly. There hadn’t been any arguments, fussing; Alex and I had agreed to every single thing the two other adults suggested, which was making for an easygoing day.

This is a rare gem. I'm so glad ya'll got to experience it.

Evie got to hold on to the interactive wand for a little while:

She looks like she is loving this.

When we were all done relishing in how fun it was to be hanging out together, Alex and I stopped by 12 Grimmauld Place one more time in order to get a family shot in front of the house.

Great family photo!

We also stopped back at the Knight Bus, because Evie and I were missing from the earlier photo.

Another great picture.

You guys are all too aware that usually one parent is not in photographs because they are usually the ones taking them.

This is so true. I'm lucky to get into a shot.

I’ll be honest, now that I’ve seen what’s possible, I have high expectations for Pandora and Star Wars and Toy Story land. I’m not a huge fan of any of those franchises, in particular. (I enjoyed all the films, I just wouldn’t call myself a huge follower.) But I feel like if Disney accomplishes what Universal did with Harry Potter, it won’t matter.

I'm not a huge fan of Pandora. I'm more fond of Star Wars and Toy Story Land. I really hope they can pull this off as well as Universal has with Harry Potter.

But alas, it never happened!

Very disappointing.

And in case you were wondering…my husband is a huge nerd and needed to display them on our wall:

His nerdiness has paid off. Very nice display.

Notice there’s room for two more?

And why is that?

Poor kid just didn’t understand why he wasn’t getting to ride ANYTHING. He was hot, frustrated, and becoming very hungry.

I feel for Landon on this one. So not fair for him.

 

[toony]

This guy is just perfect!

Gosh, I miss that little baby phase! She was so chunky and sweet back then.

Soo cute! She looks like she knows exactly what she's doing.

Great family picture!

 

[toony]

You are good. That was a spectacular guess.

No! Really?
I just thought of the most wonderful thing that would scare me to death at the same time!
Great news!!Besides the alone part...

 

[Steppesister]

Still following along, but am a couple of updates behind....

It's on my list of threads to catch up on and hope to early this coming week!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love that everything worked out so well with your "native guides." It's definitely hard to get a group of adults to agree on things,a dn when you factor in kids ... I'm really impressed that everything ran so smoothly! And I love all of the family pictures! (For the past few years I've been the one behind the camera when I travel with my family, so I definitely get the frustration of not having everyone in the pictures)

Also ... I love your decorative chopstick display!

 

[natebenma]

So it has been awhile since I have been here to read- but let's not say I have been neglectful, let's say I waited until the anniversary of your Universal day.

Happy Universally!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!



Can I just say I loved the way you were fan-girling when you first stepped into the Wizarding World. I get it! The theming is just so fabulous!

Glad you had a meal at 3 Broomsticks. Love the food and atmosphere there. And that house elfs/elves find a table for you.

And butterbeer!!! I prefer the frozen, too, and the hot is really good (in the winter). We would split 2 butterbeers for breakfast every morning we visited Hogsmeade.

I LOVE the birth of the trip report title!




That is really a cruel trick with the Gillywater. We fell for it too! When we ate at Leaky Cauldron I remembered to ask for ice water and they gave us plastic cups with water. Then I ordered water another time at 3B and they gave me the $4 bottles of Gillywater. Which we ended up tossing in the recycling without even opening because we were going on a ride and didn't want to do the locker thing.

I think you were sent through either the Castle Tour line or the Single Rider Line at Forbidden Journey.

LOL on Landon and the Talking Fountain. The first time my son Ben (age 10) went over to talk to it, it wouldn't say anything. Then as he turned and walked away, it soaked him. He was mad! Then the following trip, he went back to get his revenge. And the fountain got him again!

We don't go there anymore.



I did not know that about the phone booth. Cool! I remember when you could actually call the ones in UK/EPCOT, sad that you can't do that anymore.

How bizarre with a single room for nursing moms.



Evie looks really cute and happy, so good thing it wasn't mission critical.

That is hilarious about your "Chopsticks" display


GREAT UPDATES! Glad you had a fabulous day at Universal.

 

[amazingact21]

Brilliant update. Love the family photos and your descriptions of them. Evie's wee face when she's playing with the wand would melt the hardest of hearts . What a gorgeous smile, though I have to confess her "dirty looks" make me smile!
I agree that the set up for the men in black ride seems a bit weird and mean to make wee ones watch others ride when they can't Why would they do that?? All in all a great family day out

I always appreciate pictures of Evie smiling because they are rare. That is not her go-to look.

I thought it was a little mean to have the Rider Swap area overlook the ride vehicles, too. At least at Forbidden Journey, the room was completely closed off and the only thing kids could see were the lines and the exit platform.

I love it when characters are spot on and interact with people.

So cool!
This is a rare gem. I'm so glad ya'll got to experience it.
She looks like she is loving this.

Great family photo!
Another great picture.
This is so true. I'm lucky to get into a shot.
I'm not a huge fan of Pandora. I'm more fond of Star Wars and Toy Story Land. I really hope they can pull this off as well as Universal has with Harry Potter.
Very disappointing.
His nerdiness has paid off. Very nice display.

And why is that?

I feel for Landon on this one. So not fair for him.

I love when characters really into their roles, but then I always feel super silly, because I tend to have no idea what to say. It's nice having Landon around; he'll talk anybody's ear off!

In all my childhood pictures, my mom is in maybe 10% of them. And when is, they are usually off center or blurry, because someone not accustomed to the camera was taking the shot.

I completely understood why Landon was becoming upset at Men in Black. It'd have been like someone having a cup of Butterbeer in front of me and not sharing!

This guy is just perfect!

Soo cute! She looks like she knows exactly what she's doing.

Great family picture!

Evie always has the most fun when we are relaxing and doing simple things like letting her play with a wand. She's not the ride/show/parade fan that Landon is.