If Grandma's riding it can't be too bad... 12/20 Wrap up: Travelling home, souvenirs

[-Hope-]

Honeydukes was AMAZING! It was crowded, especially because everyone was hiding from the rain, so it was difficult to get all of the shots I wanted but this place is a photographer's dream!

Everything is bright and colorful and the packages are authentic to the books and movies. We are not seeing regular candies with Harry Potter labels slapped on them. Everything looks as if you've actually stepped into the Wizarding World and you could bump into students from Hogwarts at any moment.























Zonko's was equally amazing but also dark so I didn't get as many pics. Plus my family was finishing up with looking around so it was time for me to holster the camera.







Jace decided to buy a chocolate frog from Honeyduke's and Kya wanted a Pygmy Puff from Zonko's. And she got a nice surprise when she checked out (and I was kicking myself for putting the camera away and struggling to get it back out quickly). The store was PACKED but when she got up to the register they stopped EVERYONE to announce that she was buying her very first Pygmy Puff. They called her by name, congratulated her and the entire store applauded. More magic.


The rain was really coming down at this point and we made a long, wet walk back to the car. The rain never let up but we just kept moving. And it just kept raining. We were SOAKED when we made it back to our room and in real need of a break. Swimming wasn't even close to an option but it was okay because all any of wanted to do was lay down for a bit after our busy morning.

Will the rain stop for our evening return to IOA? Stay tuned to find out...

 

[Tink2Day]

Sounds like an amazing journey!

I'm with you, I prefer the regular Butterbeer and make a pretty close replica here at home.
There was no conductor when we were there, but we went just a few months after it opened.
However, I recall a very 'into' it character in front of Olivander's, even have his nod to me recorded.

I loved the ambience and maybe since it was so soon after opening, WWoHP was packed with Brits. It added so much to the experience.

My travel mate looked much like your kids on FJ and was done after one ride, as for me, after the 5th or 6th time I was still enthralled with everything.
So happy for you that it seemed to be worth the wait and all the planning! Magical is a great word to describe the feeling in Hogsmeade!

 

[schumigirl]

Just read through your report so far..........loved reading it

It's lovely to hear what a nice time you all had, and your pictures are lovely.

We enjoy the frozen butter beer but didn't get one this year. I had the pumpkin fizz from the hogsheads and it was nice too.....still a little bit sweet but easier to drink with it being fizzy.

We must have been there same time as you too, we were there from 12th till 29th and were in either park most of those days at some point.

Looking forward to reading more

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Honeydukes and Zonko's...WOW!!!!!!!!! OMG.

 

[Tinker326]

Yum........Butterbeer!!!! I am counting down the days till I get one (28- for the record!!!). I have actaully never tried the Pumpkin Juice there- maybe I'll have to give it a go. Or maybe I'll just stick to my tried and true & get another Butterbeer instead!

I love wandering around Honeydukes too. Although never tried any of their candy from there. Zonkos is neat as well..... and yhea on the Pygmy Puff. What fun to have one of those!

Sorry about the rain coming down like crazy. Seems like you have a great attitude about it.

And I love that you keep saying "next time".

Great update!

 

[natebenma]

Well, you made it further into the Lost Continent than we ever have!

The first visit we went, Ben visited the fountain and it wouldn't talk to him. Just as he was walking away, it sprayed him. And laughed. You should have seen that fountain laugh! This year, Ben vowed revenge. And the fountain got him again!

We haven't been to Poseidon's Fury or Sinbad's Adventure.

Your pictures in Honeydukes are AWESOME!!! I love the theming in the shops of Hogsmeade. So much to look at.

Love the story about your daughter's purchase of her first Pygmy Puff! What did she name it?

Yum! Butterbeer! I am with the majority who enjoys the frozen, especially after you mix the foam into the rest of the drink.

I saw your comment about the bottled Pumpkin Juice. The one we had may have been warm and was not fizzy. It seemed "sludgy" *shudders*

Yikes on the rain!!! I hope it does clear up for you that evening.

 

[-Hope-]

Sounds like an amazing journey!

I'm with you, I prefer the regular Butterbeer and make a pretty close replica here at home.
There was no conductor when we were there, but we went just a few months after it opened.
However, I recall a very 'into' it character in front of Olivander's, even have his nod to me recorded.

I loved the ambience and maybe since it was so soon after opening, WWoHP was packed with Brits. It added so much to the experience.

We noticed lots of Brits as well. There's just no better place to get a HP fix so it makes sense. And so many were really in character- though the guy at FJ told Kya she knew too much about HP.

My travel mate looked much like your kids on FJ and was done after one ride, as for me, after the 5th or 6th time I was still enthralled with everything.
So happy for you that it seemed to be worth the wait and all the planning! Magical is a great word to describe the feeling in Hogsmeade!

Definitely worth the wait and planning!

Just read through your report so far..........loved reading it

Thanks and

It's lovely to hear what a nice time you all had, and your pictures are lovely.

We enjoy the frozen butter beer but didn't get one this year. I had the pumpkin fizz from the hogsheads and it was nice too.....still a little bit sweet but easier to drink with it being fizzy.

We must have been there same time as you too, we were there from 12th till 29th and were in either park most of those days at some point.

How fun!

Looking forward to reading more

Hopefully I'll finish this day out soon... I've been crazy busy this week!

Honeydukes and Zonko's...WOW!!!!!!!!! OMG.

I'm telling you, photographer's DREAM! Well, as long as it's not crowded. And your family isn't rushing you.

 

[-Hope-]

Yum........Butterbeer!!!! I am counting down the days till I get one (28- for the record!!!). I have actaully never tried the Pumpkin Juice there- maybe I'll have to give it a go. Or maybe I'll just stick to my tried and true & get another Butterbeer instead!

Butterbeer is awesome- enjoy some for me! Kya and I really enjoyed the pumpkin juice but not as much as BB!

I love wandering around Honeydukes too. Although never tried any of their candy from there.

The kids got some. The candy floss and chocolate frog were great. The Bertie Botts were SCARY!

Zonkos is neat as well..... and yhea on the Pygmy Puff. What fun to have one of those!

Sorry about the rain coming down like crazy. Seems like you have a great attitude about it.

And I love that you keep saying "next time".

Great update!

Thanks!

Well, you made it further into the Lost Continent than we ever have!

The first visit we went, Ben visited the fountain and it wouldn't talk to him. Just as he was walking away, it sprayed him. And laughed. You should have seen that fountain laugh! This year, Ben vowed revenge. And the fountain got him again!



We haven't been to Poseidon's Fury or Sinbad's Adventure.

I can't speak for Sinbad but PF is not worth your time.

Your pictures in Honeydukes are AWESOME!!! I love the theming in the shops of Hogsmeade. So much to look at.

Thanks! I could have spent an entire day (by myself) just taking pics in Hogsmeade. Maybe someday!

Love the story about your daughter's purchase of her first Pygmy Puff! What did she name it?

She debated so long about the name and eventually gave up and just called it Andy.

Yum! Butterbeer! I am with the majority who enjoys the frozen, especially after you mix the foam into the rest of the drink.

I saw your comment about the bottled Pumpkin Juice. The one we had may have been warm and was not fizzy. It seemed "sludgy" *shudders*

Yikes on the rain!!! I hope it does clear up for you that evening.

EEK! That PJ sounds scary...

Hopefully I'll find to update soon and let you know about the rain!

 

[-Hope-]

When we made it back to the room we were all absolutely SOAKED! We all changed and put our shoes on the AC vents to try to dry them out. This was a definite down side of traveling with only carry on. If we'd checked bags I'd have insisted everyone bring an extra pair of shoes.

The kids decided to dive into their souvenirs during this time. We finally got the chance have a better look at their wands. Jace got the Celtic calendar wand for his birth date, March 1.




Kya got Luna's wand...




The both also got treats at Honeydukes they wanted to try. Kya got some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans...




At first she thought she wanted to be surprised by the flavors. But she quickly realized (when she almost threw up in the bed) that perhaps using the photo guide was a good idea. She said she thinks it was earwax that she ate but she's not quite sure. I was watching her face and I actually started to leap for the trash can to give to her because she literally started retching. Yeah, after that we were all pretty careful with the Bertie Botts.

Jace went with the far safer option of a chocolate frog...


It came with a Helga Hufflepuff card. He was pleased with that since he was sorted into Hufflepuff (as was J.K. Rowling) in Pottermore.


It was such a big, solid chunk of chocolate that he ended up bringing some of it home to finish.


Jace also used the downtime to do something he'd been dying to do... put one of his Lego sets from LL together!


He'd been itching to do one of them but I kept saying no because we had to get it home on the plane. But after carefully reading the dimensions he realized that it would fit in the box with the base and flag removed so I finally relented.

We'd gotten a few other great finds that Kya and I went through while my mom napped and Jace worked on his Legos.


Kya's fez (because fezzes are cool) and pygmy puff (I think she named him Andy but I'm not sure). My time turner keychain, only one in the pic but we actually bought two of these and Kya will put hers on a chain for a neckalace. And the stationary, postcards and stamps so we could send some fun souvenirs from the owl post to friends at home.

After we'd gone through the souvies and rested we headed back to the park with a quick stop for ponchos (only $4 each at Walgreens and exactly the same quality as the ones from WDW and UO but without the logo). It was STILL raining but we were determined to have fun anyway. We'd spent a wet afternoon in the room during our 2010 Disney trip and I was NOT doing that again. We were going to have fun, rain or shine!

As we were walking in, droves of people were leaving, even those in ponchos. I could see why because even with ponchos the walk in was a bit arduous. The rain was pelting our faces and the hoods on the ponchos was blocking our peripheral vision. But like I said, we were determined.

We turned left into Superhero Island as we entered the park and decided to eat first. I'd really wanted to eat at Thunder Falls Terrace but there was no way we were going to walk all the way back to JP in the rain. We were wet, tired and hungry. We tried Captain America's Diner because the kids were in the mood for burgers but it was closed so we walked back to Cafe 4. I knew the reviews of this place were bad but at this point we just didn't care.

I have no pics of our meal but Kya and my mom got lasagna and a breadstick which they said was good. I had a spinach calzone and caesar salad which were both *meh*. Jace got pizza and he said it was good, HOWEVER, with the dining plan you only get one piece of pizza and a drink. That's it, that's a counter service meal. The rest of us had plenty but Jace did not. We offered to buy him more food but he said he'd wait (he'd eaten half a chocolate frog after all) but I was still annoyed. I knew we'd have to buy him more food later simply because the meal he chose did not come with enough food. So, even though the pizza wasn't bad by theme park standards I still don't recommend eating here if you're on the dining plan.

After we ate we headed out to ride a few rides. It was still raining pretty hard and the park was pretty deserted but with full bellies and some time in the dry restaurant we were ready for some fun!


Hulk was closed but since we had no intention of riding it that was okay with us. Storm was open and completely empty so we headed there next. We were the ONLY people riding so we each got in our own car which was loads of fun. Mom wasn't riding and I told her to snap a pic but she didn't get the camera out in time. The kid running the ride tried to get us to go again (I'm sure he was bored) but the kids were ready to move on.

Spiderman had a 5 minute wait posted and I asked the kids to do this one with me. Kya needed a little cajoling but not much but Jace wasn't interested. He kept saying maybe when we came back but he just wasn't in the mood. I made sure he understood that there'd be a much longer wait when we came back but he didn't care. He and my mom went to look in the souvenir shops while Kya and I rode.


It was actually walk on with NO wait at all. And it was FUN!! I LOVED this ride and it was definitely one of my favorites. In fact after meeting back up with my mom and Jace and looking around a bit in the shops we decided to go again. Jace still didn't want to ride and was a bit hungry after his pitifully small dinner. It was nearly time for the park to close and we'd done all we could/wanted at Superhero Island so mom took him to find a snack near the Port of Entry while Kya and I rode one more time. Doing the motion simulator twice in a row was a bit much for me and I had to close my eyes a few times to quell the nausea but Kya still loved it. And we both noticed details we'd missed the first time which I think is the mark of really great ride.

Jace was finishing up his ice cream from Arctic Freeze and we did a bit of window shopping at the big Universal store at the PoE. No purchases at this time but we definitely saw some things we might come back for.

Jace was still hungry and had become fascinated with the idea of stopping at the "World's Biggest McDonald's" on I-Drive so we stopped there on the way home. I was actually surprised at the place because it was like no McDonald's I've ever seen with a pasta bar, ice cream bar,pizza, shrimp... plus all the regular menu items. I don't know if any of the special items were good but it was interesting to see what they offered. There was also a huge play area with an arcade but we were just there for food. Jace got a meal deal, Kya got some ice cream, mom and I got drinks. We took it to go and we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest!

Up next... Universal Studios!

 

[Pixiedust530]

Hey there Hope! Between my week long trip to WDW and a week to recover I was a bit behind! I am all caught up now! WWOHP looks AMAZING!!! I totally want to go there and explore! I am a huge roller coaster fan too, so I think there would be a lot for me to do! SL looks pretty amazing too... I guess I didn't expect the theming to be so cool!

I can't wait to read more.

 

[-Hope-]

Hey there Hope! Between my week long trip to WDW and a week to recover I was a bit behind! I am all caught up now! WWOHP looks AMAZING!!! I totally want to go there and explore! I am a huge roller coaster fan too, so I think there would be a lot for me to do! SL looks pretty amazing too... I guess I didn't expect the theming to be so cool! I can't wait to read more.

Hi, Stephanie! I COMPLETELY understand! So glad you're back and I hope your trip was magical!

 

[Tinker326]

Rain, rain go away....................

Glad you guys still made the best of it even with the downpour!

I love Spiderman too!

A few years ago my oldest DD had a Harry Potter Birthday party and I found those Bertie Botts beans and the girls all sat around and tried them- oh, it was so funny to watch their reactions!

 

[nicole83]

Reading your TR is making me so much more excited to go on my trip!!!! So far it sounds like you had an AMAZING time, I can't wait to read more!!

 

[Seeker615]

I am really loving your trip report.

Can't wait to get back to Universal. It will be my hubby's first time at IOA. I can't wait to show him everything!

 

[-Hope-]

Rain, rain go away....................

Glad you guys still made the best of it even with the downpour!

I love Spiderman too!

A few years ago my oldest DD had a Harry Potter Birthday party and I found those Bertie Botts beans and the girls all sat around and tried them- oh, it was so funny to watch their reactions!

The non-existent crowds made up for the rain.

I've seen the Bertie Botts at Barnes and Noble but never tried them... and don't think we'll try them again soon.

Reading your TR is making me so much more excited to go on my trip!!!! So far it sounds like you had an AMAZING time, I can't wait to read more!!

We did have an AMAZING trip! I'm so glad you're enjoying reading about it. Hopefully I'll be able to update again soon but I know I have a busy few days ahead with work so it may be the end of the week before I have the chance.

I am really loving your trip report.

Can't wait to get back to Universal. It will be my hubby's first time at IOA. I can't wait to show him everything!

Sharing it with someone who hasn't been will be fun! It was a first trip for all of us but I knew a lot more about what to expect than the kids and my mom did. It was A LOT of fun to see their reactions to things I knew were coming but they didn't.

 

[Alysa]

Sounds like a great time so far! Love all the potter details and photos!

 

[-Hope-]

Sounds like a great time so far! Love all the potter details and photos!

Thanks, Alyssa! The Potter details are AMAZING. I know I keep using that word but it's true!

 

[-Hope-]

So, while typing this out I kept finding myself going off on tangents about things I was thinking/feeling at the time in addition to what we were actually doing. I put this stuff in italics because it seemed weird and out of place but was also stuff I wanted to say and remember!

After a fun filled, magical, wet day at IOA we were ready for more fun at US!

There was still rain in the forecast but just scattered showers, nothing like we'd experienced the day before. We packed up our ponchos and figured if we needed them, we'd have them.

Before we could leave that morning we had to dry out our shoes. It was late the night before and I knew I'd be up earlier than everyone else so I decided morning would be better. I got dressed, made sure everyone was awake and getting ready, and took my coffee down to the laundry room so I could throw the kids shoes in the dryer for a bit before we left. The property around the Rosen Inn at Pointe Orlando is really pretty so I just relaxed on a bench, texted my hubby and enjoyed the view.


Because I wasn't in the room urging everyone to hurry we didn't make rope drop (or whatever they call it at UO) but it was close... we were there at 9:15 and the Studios opened at 9:00 that day.

Of course we needed a few shots taken by the PC photographer in front of the iconic globe before we entered...




It was really only drizzling at this point but Jace is more sensitive to things like being wet so he wanted his poncho. I don't think it lasted long though.

Our first stop was Despicable Me because I knew the wait would get worse as the day went on. The wait time was posted as 10 minutes and if I remember correctly that was pretty accurate.

First we entered a room that looks like Gru's mansion. It was cute with the Gru family tree, with the girls added in crayon, and lots of Addams family type decorations. Sorry, I didn't get any good shots in here... it was too dark and they came out blurry.

Another reason I don't have many shots, aside from the lighting, is that I realized something about myself when we were in the holding room. If I look too closely at the details, instead of just enjoying the overall effect, it takes me out of the magic. I know that may seem weird considering all of the detail shots I took in the WWoHP but those happened organically- I'd see something and take a shot. I wasn't actively LOOKING for details which just reminds me that someone else actively put that detail there which reminds me I'm not really in that place but a mock up of it. I mean, I know it's not real but I still like to lose myself in the moment if that makes sense. (I also decided at this point NOT to do the scavenger hunt I had planned in WWoHP the next day for this reason. I didn't want to kill the magic.)

Anyway, I did get a shot of the kids in their 3D glasses...


We really liked these glasses more than others, they wrap around the sides so you aren't distracted by things in your peripheral vision and we felt that made a big difference. My poor mom had to wait in a separate line than the rest of us because she needed stationary seating. She was a good sport but said it made her feel like an old lady.

After the mansion we moved into ANOTHER holding room, this one modeled after Gru's laboratory. At one point they comment about the smell and people not showering for a week and then put the offending audience members on the screens. Jace and I were in one of the shots and he was cracking up!

Finally, we moved into the actual ride and the kids LOVED it! They came off laughing and talking excitedly about all of their favorite parts. Mom and I both thought it was cute and fun as well though I'm not sure we enjoyed it as much as they did. For those not familiar it's similar to Philharmagic or the Muppets at Disney with the exception that floor under the bench seating rocks, shakes and tilts- enough so that lap bars are necessary. Mom thought the stationary seats were fine but I'm sure it detracted a bit from the overall effect of the ride.

I also have to note that one of the things missing from the 4D effects at UO is smells. There was the smell of banana in one of the holding rooms but you had to be standing in the right place to really notice and then the ride had none. Or there might be smells on the ride but they aren't obvious because I didn't notice them. I honestly think this enhances my enjoyment of the ride and is the reason Soarin' and Philharmagic are my favorite attractions at WDW. So, note to UO, add some fun smells to the actual ride experience!

After DM we moved on to Transformers. It was pretty much walk on with a wait time of 5 minutes. Again, we loved it! It's similar to Spiderman with screens and a motion simulator on a track. (My best description is a Philharmagic/TSM mash-up type of experience.) I liked the storyline and special effects of Spiderman more but this was still lots of fun.


While we were riding Mom walked around the NY area and found Finnegan's so we could easily find it when it was time for our lunch ressie.

MIB was up next and we headed that way through the SF/Amity area. We spotted Bruce but the kids opted not to get a pic- too many fake shark pics from cheesy souvenir shops at the beach I think.

They did, however, insist on stopping in the shop where they put your face on movie posters. I told them up front I wasn't buying anything but it's free and fun to try so they did it. Even though we passed on buying that day we actually did buy one of these on our trip to Branson last May. It was just too funny and we couldn't pass it up...


But none of these were quite as fantastic as that one so the kids had their fun and we moved on. As we made our way to the back of the park we loved walking past the construction of the HP expansion even though it's pretty much just the metal skeletons of building fronts at this point. The seed of returning after the expansion is complete was definitely planted...

We walked right on to MIB...


This was a fun dark ride, similar to a Buzz Lightyear type shooting attraction but, as usual in UO, a bit more intense (which is why my mom didn't ride, too jerky for her back injury). Kya won thanks to the red button bonus that Jace and I both missed.

After MIB we continued our way around the park through the Springfield area. We knew we wanted to come back for dinner at Krusty Burger so we decided to ride the rides in this area at that time. But of course we had to stop for the brand new PC spot with the Simpson's couch gag...






And these guys were just coming out with no line so we had to stop for them as well...


Springfield was pretty awesome and I was excited to return later but we kept moving because we had lunch reservations at 11:45 AND I wanted to make it to the 11:00 AM Blues Brother's show.

Up next... Find out if we made it to the show and learn the back story of my TR title...

 

[mrsabbott]

I am really looking forward to trying some of these rides! this also reminded me that I need to watch Despicable Me soon.. Been meaning to rent it but forgot!

 

[-Hope-]

I am really looking forward to trying some of these rides! this also reminded me that I need to watch Despicable Me soon.. Been meaning to rent it but forgot!

We really enjoyed the rides at UO! There's really something for everyone.

Don't forget about DM2 when it comes out on DVD. The ride is based on the first movie but we saw the second one in the theater and it's super cute. Kya's t-shirt is one of the evil minions from that movie.