March 2012: The Year I Almost Survived Spring Break

[Lidian]

We last left off with the gates to IoA opening! Where to first? Well ... let me stop for a moment...

Okay, there are lots of WoW references today, so if you aren't familiar with the game, you won't get some of the pictures and commentary. I'm sorry. You can ask if you want clarification and I can try to explain ... but face it. If you don't play an MMORPG, you won't get everything that happens today. That's okay, I still love you all!

Those who do play WoW, enjoy our prospecting, gem crafting, archeology digging, and mount collecting.

Back on topic.

We make a mad dash through the gates, knocking people out of our.... oh, sorry. We didn't really make a mad dash. But we didn't want to dilly-dally either.

First stop? Collect our first mount. Hello Swift Zulian Tiger Mount!

Then it was off through Suess Landing.

I really liked the look of Suess Landing. It was such a fun area to look at!!

This is the top of the carousel:

Street signs!

I hope that doesn't fall on me....

I think this is the thing that scared me...

One of the displays started rattling off things when you walk by it (it was near the restrooms). It startled me because I couldn't figure out what it was and where it was coming from.

But we had something else on the agenda ... so ... Bye-Bye Suess Landing...

Hmm... this isn't our destination ... so let's keep walking...

Okay, I'm sorry, but this waterfall kinda grosses me out ... Anyone else agree?

More Lost Continent pictures:

DH saw Mythos and asked what it was. I told him it was a restaurant. He said we should eat there. I told him that was okay, but I thought we were going cheap today since lunch was OOP. He said he'd think about it. So ... do we eat here today?

Oh ... FINALLY! What I have been waiting years to see! Hogsmeade!

For those who can't read the sign it says:
Hogsmeade
Please respect the spell limits

At this point, it is 9:14. So it took about 8 minutes from the gate to get to the entrance to Hogsmeade -- stopping once or twice to snap a quick picture (brief pauses, I should say).

I confess .... Hogsmeade was everything I imagined and BEYOND. I was totally in love! Just look at how well the village was re-created!

And yes, it was already PACKED! The park had been open to the public for 14 minutes and it's CRAZY! Everyone ran here first. Smart people. But now I'm worried what the actual wait will be for HP:FJ. Let's see if we get to ride it anytime soon!

Here's the train with a conductor!!

Zonko's Joke Shop

Honeyduke's Candy Shop

The sign at the train station (ie a locker area)

I love the little touches they added!

And there it is ... in all its magnificent glory .... HOGWARTS!!!!

(Please disregard the white building at the back of the castle that never got blended in...)

(Those coaster tracks are for the Flight of the Hyppogryph -- family coaster, similar to Barnstormer in scale.)

And for anyone wondering ... here are what the seats look like:

They're four wide instead of two, as above.

This is when I kissed DH and DS goodbye and sent them back to Suess Landing. Kouga, DD, and I decided to see what adventure awaited us inside the castle!

I'm literally bouncing to the entrance ... squealing with delight! I'm sure Kouga was getting scared (of me).

This is when we encounter our first of many issues....

 

[Corrine 1973]

Ohhh, it looks so beautiful. The urge to go. . . is. . . . becoming. . . . stronger.

 

[katt789]

Alright! only had time to read the intro's before work, but I love it so far! Your kids are just adorable! So awesome that DD will go on all the thrill rides & not dislike that you cry I'm excited to catch up with more after work

 

[DMGeurts]

C'mon... WHat issues???? Don't leave me hangin' like that!!!!

D~

 

[Lidian]

Ohhh, it looks so beautiful. The urge to go. . . is. . . . becoming. . . . stronger.

Alright! only had time to read the intro's before work, but I love it so far! Your kids are just adorable! So awesome that DD will go on all the thrill rides & not dislike that you cry I'm excited to catch up with more after work

Thanks for the compliments on my kids!

C'mon... WHat issues???? Don't leave me hangin' like that!!!!

D~

Hangin' like what?

 

[Lidian]

So we walk up to the castle to do the tour and ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (HP:FJ). It was impressive .... and massive ... and massively impressive! A staff member (what do you call staff members at USO?) ... anyway, a staff member tells me that all Muggles must store their bags in lockers.

First ... she called me a Muggle. Can't she see that I'm really a wizard?

Second, she said I had to put our stuff in a locker. I didn't want to rent a locker. I started to call DH and have him come get our stuff since we weren't allowed entry carrying it. But then she said that the lockers were free to rent for just the ride.

So we went in and sure enough, they have this MASSIVE locker room. The locker system was pretty ... weird. I was a bit unsure how to use it, but we became pros quickly. You see, the lockers are set with a time depending on the wait for the ride (it's generous, so you have time to get back to the locker). You select an area and follow the on-screen instructions and it magically opens a locker for you. It tells you how long you have to use it for free, and if you don't make it back in the deadline, it tells you what the charges will be for it.

So we got our locker, and being smart (so I thought), I snapped a picture of the locker door (not uploaded). We made sure it was locked and headed to the queue.

The locker picture was taken at 9:21 AM. Let's see how long it takes to get on the ride! The posted wait was 10 minutes when we passed the sign. I wasn't sure how accurate posted waits at IoA were.

We came across lots of neat things ... but most of the pictures were just black pictures. I couldn't tell what they were. Even some of these are crappy, but bear with me.

First we saw the Mirror of Erised (9:22):

Then the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor (9:22):

Then we came up onto the greenhouse (9:24). They had the queue cut short, so we didn't have to walk through it ... but I really wanted to see the items in the greenhouse. I heard they had mandrakes and everything!

Then the statue guarding the Headmaster's stairwell (9:24):

Then we found a hallway of talking portraits (9:25)! It was kinda loud in here and as much as I thought it was neat, it really started to wear on my head ... I had to cover my ears. It wasn't overly loud, but all the talking at once ... oy! Yeah, it did me in, but I snapped a few pictures and I loved that they talked and moved!!!

Then it was into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom (9:27) where Hermione did something very unlike her true character. She told us to skip class!

Then we saw this real neat stained glass window (9:28):

And then the door that lead to the Gryffindor tower (9:29):

And after this, is where we found the line. We stood in a queue for a bit. They were playing a simulated video of what the ride could be like, so you can see how the ride moves (but don't see spoilers from the ride). Kouga asks one of the staff members if you go upside down (he was starting to worry). The guy said that at a few points you roll onto your back, but never go upside down.

We were finally let into the next room, where the Sorting Hat (9:34) gave us safety directions.

This was where we encountered an issue. It's just 9:30ish and the battery in my camera... DEAD. DEAD DEAD DEAD. It died as I took that picture of the Sorting Hat.

So... We waited in line here for a few minutes, and then we were boarded onto our "broomsticks".

Okay, so the entire time from doorway to boarding was roughly 20 minutes. Not bad. We practically ran through the castle though, and I really hated that I feel like I missed a lot of stuff. So it made me decide that I must visit the castle again!

I won't spoil the ride.... much. Kouga purchased the picture, and I truly regret not getting it as well. It was EPIC. I'm waiting for him to send me a copy so I can upload it for everyone to see.

Let me try to explain the ride a bit:
You board the ride as it's moving, much like the conveyor belts on Haunted Mansion or similar. You go through a couple of safety check points to be sure that you're secure. Then you're transported into a room where it all begins. I kind of call it a cross between a simulator and a roller coaster. I would DEFINITELY call it a thrill ride, and at several points, I wondered how far I was off the ground. I looked down a few times. There was one area that I really had a huge issue with and closed my eyes. Outside of that, it was awesome. When you roll up on your back, it honestly feels like you're more upside down than on your back. I swear my butt was higher than my head on several occasions!!!!

So we survive the ride and exit into the gift shop. Here is where we encounter another issue. What locker was our stuff in?

 

[DMGeurts]

Awww... CRAP... Your picture is on your camera, your camera is dead!!!! CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!! I take it that you didn't buy a second battery???? I really hope you did!!!!

OK - so how'd you find your locker, and how'd you get your stuff out?

D~

 

[Corrine 1973]

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear what happened.

I hope you have another battery, what are you going to do with out a camera for the rest of the day.

I need picture. It is cementing my urge to go back to IoA. I need to visit WWoHP.

 

[dara00]

great descriptions and pictures of harry potter world! I hope to go there some day! can't wait to hear how you worked out the locker and camera situation.

 

[Lidian]

Awww... CRAP... Your picture is on your camera, your camera is dead!!!! CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!! I take it that you didn't buy a second battery???? I really hope you did!!!!

OK - so how'd you find your locker, and how'd you get your stuff out?

D~

Oh, that's all. I'm done with my TR. Nothing else. Enjoy!

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear what happened.

I hope you have another battery, what are you going to do with out a camera for the rest of the day.

I need picture. It is cementing my urge to go back to IoA. I need to visit WWoHP.

Nothing left to write. That was the end of our trip. My stuff is stuck in a locker. The trip can't possibly continue.

WWoHP was absolutely amazing! I highly recommend any Potter-head to visit it at least once in their lifetime!

great descriptions and pictures of harry potter world! I hope to go there some day! can't wait to hear how you worked out the locker and camera situation.

It was a great experience! I can't wait to go back! If you make it there one day, you'll have to share how awesome it is with me!

 

[DMGeurts]

You are welcome to steal my pictures and write my TR.

D~

 

[Lidian]

This is going to be a really short TR if I can't get my things out of that locker ... since I had ALL of our KTTW, the car keys, the second camera, my medicine, MY CELLPHONE, etc.

So after wandering through rows and rows and rows (I didn't realize how big the locker area was!), we finally just went to the entrance to the castle. I figured I could find the correct locker station from there.

Well, I did. Huzzah! I was so happy .... so I walked up to the computer and started to follow the onscreen directions. Then it asked which locker was mine. OH CRAP! At this point, I'm almost in tears. What if I can't figure it out? So I'm looking around at the lockers. I knew it was up kind of high because I couldn't see inside of it (yay for being short). I caught a glimpse of some numbers that felt familiar and then DD proceeds to say, isn't that it? And she points to the locker I was eyeballing. Locker 212 on the top row. I thought ... well, if it's not, then the finger scan won't match up (the computer takes a finger scan to use as the "key" for security). So I typed in 212 and it popped open! HUZZAH again!

I started pulling all of our stuff out of the locker, and then I boosted DD up so she can verify that there was nothing left in it (in case something fell out of our bags -- or in case someone previously left something that we should turn into a staff member. It was empty, we had our belongings!

So I called DH as I went back to the designated meeting spot where Kouga was waiting for us (he was still in the gift shop when we went for our stuff).

The phone call to DH went something like this:

Hi boo, we're off the ride!
I take it you survived?
Oh yes! But wait until you see the picture! You're going to love it!
Can't wait!
So where are you at?
We're (static) Suess (static) ri-(static)
What?
(Static)-mumble-(static)-mumble-mumble-(dropped call)

So I stood there and Kouga asked where we were headed. I told him Suess Landing, I think ... because I heard the word Suess, but he could have said they just left Suess and were heading somewhere else. Or maybe they were headed TO Suess.

I called back. Voicemail. Ugh.

So we walked to Suess Landing (SL). I couldn't help but take more pictures on the other camera (my old Sony that I was going to let DD use this trip).

Look! It's Ollivander's! I so want a wand! And I really wanted to see Ollivander's show!

Look! Gladrags! Hermione's dress! DD said she wanted that dress so badly!

LOOK! The Owl Post! I was really hoping you can buy one of the owls in the window! That would have been awesome! (I never saw any inside.)

LOOK!!!! The Three Broomsticks! I want to eat here for lunch!!!

(Can you tell I'm excited over all this?)

LOOK! Honeydukes! I want some weird candy! I wonder if I could get my dad to eat some Bertie Bots Any Flavor Beans?

And then ... wow.... The Dragon Challenge! We'll see you soon enough and we'll take that challenge! (Posted wait in that picture is 5 minutes, though you can't see but it's visible in the original.) Picture time stamp is 9:48-ish. Not sure how accurate the clock is on the Sony. I know it was an hour off, but not sure about minutes.

Okay, some PTR stuff here:
When planning out the trip, I read that DC was an inverted roller coaster. So I got nervous because I had never ridden an inverted coaster before. I was talking to my baby sister (she's not a baby anymore, she has two kiddos, but she's my youngest sister) ... and she pointed out, didn't you ride Batman and such at Six Flags? OH YEAH! Okay, I can do this. I've done inverted before! So I got excited.

However, I didn't research the differences between the two tracks enough. I read there were differences, and I read what they were, but I didn't "note" them so I'd remember for our trip. So as a bit of a spoiler, I let DD pick which track to ride first.

Then it was the exit of Hogsmeade and into SL.

Once we arrived to SL, I just kind of stopped. I wasn't sure WHERE to go. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye an adorable little boy screaming "Mommy!" and running towards me!

Since I have class, this is where I will end for the moment. But coming up ... what happens if you're old and ride lots of roller coasters back to back? Will a wand pick us? How many times would I get told to put the camera away? What character terrifies DS? What happens when a character forgets their personal property? Do we ever get to eat lunch? What happens when mom gets sucked into a comic strip?

Eh, who knows. It would be interesting if maybe some of that happened to a person.

 

[loveysbydesign]

AWESOME update! We haven;t been to US yet and are dying to go to WWoHP! Trying to talk my dh into it as he hates to pay $$$ for our 4 y.o. to go there when he can;t do as much as the rest of us!

 

[Lidian]

You are welcome to steal my pictures and write my TR.

D~

Nah, that's okay. I'm done. I wrote my own, the least you can do is write yours. It's not my fault that you didn't leave after 24 hours.

 

[Lidian]

AWESOME update! We haven;t been to US yet and are dying to go to WWoHP! Trying to talk my dh into it as he hates to pay $$$ for our 4 y.o. to go there when he can;t do as much as the rest of us!

Thank you!

I highly recommend that if you go to USO and can only do one park, you visit IoA. They have more geared to a child than USO does.

While there are rides with height requirements, there were lots of things for my DS5 (now 6) to do! He could ride EVERYTHING in Suess Landing. Plus, he could ride Flight of the Hippogryph and Spiderman. But it would depend on the height of your DS4. They do list height requirements on the USO website so you can plan out what your child can and can't ride. It's the same as going to WDW ... lots of things they can do, and a few they can't.

I honestly don't recall if he was tall enough for the other coasters or not ... but it didn't matter to us, since he wouldn't ride them. Honestly, I'd measure your DS and check the USO webpage. Regardless, there's still TONS to do for him at Suess Landing. My DS didn't want to leave that area, to be honest. Oh, and I forgot about the water rides. Your DS may be tall enough for those, too!

If it's not too much of a spoiler to say this.... my DS absolutely LOVED IoA and has asked to go back. So if you just do one of the parks, I do recommend IoA over USO because of Suess Landing. USO seemed more geared to the teens and adults, and was limited on what a child could do.

I say, do your research, make a list of everything your DS can and can't ride, take it to your DH and say BAM! See! Now pack your bags and let's go! Let me know how quickly he says yes!

 

[solana131]

So jealous! I want to go to Hogwarts too! Maybe thats where we will go for our anniversary....hubby doesn't like Disney, but he loves Harry

 

[Lidian]

So jealous! I want to go to Hogwarts too! Maybe thats where we will go for our anniversary....hubby doesn't like Disney, but he loves Harry

My DH tolerates HP more than he does WDW ... but he still didn't do much at WWoHP except look around. He didn't ride anything. But he did enjoy seeing things from the movie come to life! And just wait until I mention a part later in the day ....

 

[wendy3]

What a WONDERFUL update!! We are all so addicted to WDW around here that we don't usually get such a detailed tour of Universal. My group is heading to WDW in September. While four of us can't bear to leave WDW, my daughter (20) and her boyfriend (22) are spending 1 day at Universal; specifically to see Harry. My question to you is, is there enough to keep them happy at IoA for a full day, or do they need tickets for both parks (keeping in mind that Dr Suess isn't going to do it for them)? I'm just going to stick them in a cab and send them to Universal on their own, while my boys (17, 17, 23) head to Blizzard Beach, and I get a day on my own at Epcot. Happy Sigh. Looking forward to your next update!

 

[MHTeacher]

Wow! I just saw your trip report's title and thought I needed to read to see how you managed some spring break crowds!

I read through all your updates and loved it!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at Universal, and then how you spent your time at WDW!

 

[Lidian]

What a WONDERFUL update!! We are all so addicted to WDW around here that we don't usually get such a detailed tour of Universal. My group is heading to WDW in September. While four of us can't bear to leave WDW, my daughter (20) and her boyfriend (22) are spending 1 day at Universal; specifically to see Harry. My question to you is, is there enough to keep them happy at IoA for a full day, or do they need tickets for both parks (keeping in mind that Dr Suess isn't going to do it for them)? I'm just going to stick them in a cab and send them to Universal on their own, while my boys (17, 17, 23) head to Blizzard Beach, and I get a day on my own at Epcot. Happy Sigh. Looking forward to your next update!

Thank you!

I have lots more details coming (and I swear we did visit WDW parks, too! ) ... and perhaps you can get a better feel of the place and can determine a more accurate answer to your question.

That said ... without really getting into much details and spoilers, we ONLY went to IoA and we stayed almost all day. We did not even consider hoppers. While DS loved Suess Landing, I did leave IoA feeling like we missed so much. I know that I will make a comment that seems like it contradicts that later in the day ... but you will have to trust me on that and it will all make sense then.

In my planning for our 2013 trip... I am planning full days for IoA and USO. In a hypothetical situation: If it was a trip where there were no little kids and only one day, I'm not sure I'd get hoppers then either.

However ... my best recommendation is to let them see what there is to do and let them determine if one park would be enough. If they plan to ride the Hulk 17 times and HP:FJ 8 times and both DC coasters a million times ... sure, they'll stay busy, even if waits are relatively low. But if they're just going to ride something once, maybe twice, and move on and only looking for thrill rides, then they may need to visit both parks to get their fill. In my perfect world, I'd dedicate a whole day just to WWoHP, but not everyone would.

I hope I helped point you towards a good answer for your question. I really can't advise you, since your situation would be different than mine. But I can tell you about what we did, what the rides are like, and how my DD10 felt about them! Plus, it depends on if you kids like to just hang out some or if they go all commando. If they're like me and only have one speed (RUN!) ... I'd say they could do one park and some of the other. But even if it's a lower crowd season, I would still worry about some of the waits. When we got off HP:FJ, the wait was over 30 minutes and it wasn't even 10AM, it was low attendance (thanks to the weather), and the park opened to the public at 9.

I'd love to hear more about your planning, as it may help me with my 2013 trip planning! But really, I think the best thing is for them to decide what they plan to do and go from there. There's not only rides, but shows, too .. and characters! Lots of characters! They may enjoy them (they may not). If I didn't have a DS to spend so much time in SL, I may have been tempted to hop. But there's lots of variables ... so please let me know what you decide!!!