I too, was wondering how all the Pre-GO package holders made out. All I could think of when I saw the lines on opening day was, bet they are real happy for that preview now!! (well... first I thought, WOW...glad I'M not there today!) I hope you all had a blast!
Pre-GO Package-Holders Unite!
- Thread starter Momw/aplan
- Start date
Momw/aplan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2009
- Messages
- 367
Hey, everyone. I'm just now getting back online to check in. We've been home for just under a week now, but unfortunately a couple of days after we returned--right about the time I was feeling less exhausted and was getting settled back in--I broke a tooth and the resulting dental work knocked me back on my rear again. I'm doing much better now and I'm just glad I got home before the tooth thing happened! A dental emergency on the road would have been horrific!
As far as my trip goes, I just want to start by saying that overall I was very pleased and impressed with Universal. I thought I really liked Disney, but now I absolutely LOVE this other place.
It was a fun and yet relaxing vacation while we were there (all the driving though, not so much).
As far as our time in the area pre-GO and the crowds while we were in there, it was a mixture of good and bad.
We were in the park for two days total. These days fell smack in the middle of them getting everything ready for the big celebrity VIP ceremonies each night leading up to the public GO.
On our first day there we got to the turnstiles around 7:30, waited until 8:00 for them to open the gates and then walked straight into WW with all the other on-site guests. The crowd was moderate--not too bad at all, but not exactly empty either. Of course everyone headed straight for FJ only to find out it wasn't running yet and they "didn't know when/if it would be that day." So we decided to hop on FoTH a couple of times in a row with a less than 5 minute wait--we all loved it!-- and then hit Olivander's for the first of about 6 tries total (yes, we are crazy). Our wait at Olivander's was probably only about 20 minutes that first try. The show was a lot of fun! And as we learned from our many experiences with it there's a lot of variety depending on who your shop keeper is- some were much better than others, but none were exactly bad. Once we came out though the line had grown quite long.
After Olivander's we tried our luck at FJ again. Still not up. No word on when/if it would be but they were doing "castle tours" so we decided to see the sights and take advantage of the AC
. (The heat index for that day was projected to be about 110 and I think it must have hit that by 8:30. Uggh.
The castle was breathtaking, although I wished we could have gone slower--the crowd behind us pretty well pushed us through at a brisk pace. We weren't even able to catch all of each 'show' with Dumbledore and the trio. I think everyone hoped if they could make it to the end the ride would somehow be magically waiting for them ready to go. They had us exit before the sorting hat though since, of course, it still wasn't running.
As we walked out of the castle the enormous crowd that greeted us announced that it was already 9:00 and the general public had been let in. All I can say is "Yikes!"
We made a mad dash for Olivander's to see if we could get in line before it got too long, but it was too late--it was wrapped around the building and then some. Our breakfast reservation was for 9:30 so we took a bathroom break to visit Moaning Myrtle and then headed over to Three Broomsticks early, on the off chance they'd take us in--the shops were quite crowded and all the attraction lines filled with everyone who'd just gotten in. Fortunately Three Broomsticks said yes, it wasn't a problem at all and we got seated right away.
We had our breakfast--which was so/so--and fell in love with Pumpkin Juice (not so much with Butterbeer though). I took a ton of pictures in Three Broomsticks. The level of detail was just...WOW! The kids LOVED watching for the house elf and owl shadows to pass by from time to time. Unfortunately I was never quick enough to get a picture of those.
After breakfast we got back in line for Olivander's. Cute show again, but neither kid got picked. My daughter was intrigued that both kids picked so far had birthdays that fell on the 31st. The first girl had a Halloween birthday and the 2nd (a boy) I believe was July.
Time for FJ again. Still not up. We were craving the AC again though and hoped to maybe go slower so we could see all of both 'shows'. The front half of the queue whipped by. I got some good pics but couldn't linger too long. Even though we weren't blocking the path, people still bunched up behind us, not wanting to pass--imagine that!? Completely not-rude people when it wouldn't even have been rude exactly!--so we kept going not wanting to be rude ourselves.
Before we could get to the 'shows' though, we hit a wall of people out in the green house. The line had stopped! It was, of course, the outdoor, hottest part of the queue, too! My husband's first instinct was to ditch the line and get out, but I told him no. The line must have stopped for a reason. If they weren't whisking people out the early exit then maybe they knew it was about to start running.
Sure enough, after about 20 minutes of sweating it out in the greenhouse, they announced to loud cheers that FJ was finally online for the first time that day!!! The next 20 minutes in the greenhouse went by much quicker knowing that--we just crossed our fingers it wouldn't go down again before we got to ride. It was a hot wait though! One young couple had to be escorted out after the girl was attended to by medics because of the heat.
Once we got back into the castle for the 2nd half of the queue it was all good (meaning air conditioned) from there. We still whipped through Dumbledore's speech only catching about 2/3rds of it (we came in after it had started and exited before it started again), but caught all of the trio's bit. Finally we made it all way to the sorting hat--whipping by without even a chance to snap a pic--we didn't want anyone to pass us at this point! We were almost on!
Just as the line had dwindled to only about 4 people in front of us--we could see the benches being loaded!--the whole thing...yes...came to a screeching halt. gulp.
They quickly announced though that it would be a brief wait and then it would be back up. Sure enough, five minutes later, it was rolling again and before we knew it we were on!!!
The ride was phenomenal!! My 10 year old, who doesn't like scary things at all, even got over her fears in light of the wonder and thrill of it all and decided right away that she definitely wanted to do it again at least once before we went home. While we were on the ride though there was another glitch--it shut down while we were about halfway through. Our bench was up high and tilted quite far to the left--not the most comfortable position to hang out in, but at least we weren't face down as I'm certain at least one bench must have been. We hung out in that position for about five minutes, hoping it wouldn't go on for too long, and then they got us going again. We were able to finish out the rest of the ride from that point as if nothing had happened--only a quick pause to catch our breath I suppose.
After the long wait in the green house we were ready to go back to the room for a while. We hit Honeydukes and Zonko's, braving the shoulder to shoulder crowd, so we could get all of our chocolate stuff before heading back to the room. They won't deliver any chocolate or other perishables to your room or the front of the park for you. We know why now, too. Thankfully we didn't spring for the $10 choc frogs, but the kids did each get a Honeyduke's dark chocolate. We left Honeydukes with our new prized possessions in hand, walked straight through IOA, got straight on a boat to RP and then went straight up to our rooms only to find that the chocolate bars had already melted into a squishy mess. It. Was. Hot!
We laid the choc bars, still in their wrappers, out on the marble vanity top and left them to re-harden. They were still delicious although not nearly as pretty as I'm sure they would have been--certainly not photo worthy!
This post is getting quite long now, so I'll go ahead and post it and start on a new one: Stay tuned for the second part of our first day as well as our very VERY short second day in WWoHP.
As far as my trip goes, I just want to start by saying that overall I was very pleased and impressed with Universal. I thought I really liked Disney, but now I absolutely LOVE this other place.
It was a fun and yet relaxing vacation while we were there (all the driving though, not so much).As far as our time in the area pre-GO and the crowds while we were in there, it was a mixture of good and bad.
We were in the park for two days total. These days fell smack in the middle of them getting everything ready for the big celebrity VIP ceremonies each night leading up to the public GO.
On our first day there we got to the turnstiles around 7:30, waited until 8:00 for them to open the gates and then walked straight into WW with all the other on-site guests. The crowd was moderate--not too bad at all, but not exactly empty either. Of course everyone headed straight for FJ only to find out it wasn't running yet and they "didn't know when/if it would be that day." So we decided to hop on FoTH a couple of times in a row with a less than 5 minute wait--we all loved it!-- and then hit Olivander's for the first of about 6 tries total (yes, we are crazy). Our wait at Olivander's was probably only about 20 minutes that first try. The show was a lot of fun! And as we learned from our many experiences with it there's a lot of variety depending on who your shop keeper is- some were much better than others, but none were exactly bad. Once we came out though the line had grown quite long.
After Olivander's we tried our luck at FJ again. Still not up. No word on when/if it would be but they were doing "castle tours" so we decided to see the sights and take advantage of the AC
. (The heat index for that day was projected to be about 110 and I think it must have hit that by 8:30. Uggh.The castle was breathtaking, although I wished we could have gone slower--the crowd behind us pretty well pushed us through at a brisk pace. We weren't even able to catch all of each 'show' with Dumbledore and the trio. I think everyone hoped if they could make it to the end the ride would somehow be magically waiting for them ready to go. They had us exit before the sorting hat though since, of course, it still wasn't running.
As we walked out of the castle the enormous crowd that greeted us announced that it was already 9:00 and the general public had been let in. All I can say is "Yikes!"
We made a mad dash for Olivander's to see if we could get in line before it got too long, but it was too late--it was wrapped around the building and then some. Our breakfast reservation was for 9:30 so we took a bathroom break to visit Moaning Myrtle and then headed over to Three Broomsticks early, on the off chance they'd take us in--the shops were quite crowded and all the attraction lines filled with everyone who'd just gotten in. Fortunately Three Broomsticks said yes, it wasn't a problem at all and we got seated right away.
We had our breakfast--which was so/so--and fell in love with Pumpkin Juice (not so much with Butterbeer though). I took a ton of pictures in Three Broomsticks. The level of detail was just...WOW! The kids LOVED watching for the house elf and owl shadows to pass by from time to time. Unfortunately I was never quick enough to get a picture of those.
After breakfast we got back in line for Olivander's. Cute show again, but neither kid got picked. My daughter was intrigued that both kids picked so far had birthdays that fell on the 31st. The first girl had a Halloween birthday and the 2nd (a boy) I believe was July.
Time for FJ again. Still not up. We were craving the AC again though and hoped to maybe go slower so we could see all of both 'shows'. The front half of the queue whipped by. I got some good pics but couldn't linger too long. Even though we weren't blocking the path, people still bunched up behind us, not wanting to pass--imagine that!? Completely not-rude people when it wouldn't even have been rude exactly!--so we kept going not wanting to be rude ourselves.
Before we could get to the 'shows' though, we hit a wall of people out in the green house. The line had stopped! It was, of course, the outdoor, hottest part of the queue, too! My husband's first instinct was to ditch the line and get out, but I told him no. The line must have stopped for a reason. If they weren't whisking people out the early exit then maybe they knew it was about to start running.
Sure enough, after about 20 minutes of sweating it out in the greenhouse, they announced to loud cheers that FJ was finally online for the first time that day!!! The next 20 minutes in the greenhouse went by much quicker knowing that--we just crossed our fingers it wouldn't go down again before we got to ride. It was a hot wait though! One young couple had to be escorted out after the girl was attended to by medics because of the heat.
Once we got back into the castle for the 2nd half of the queue it was all good (meaning air conditioned
) from there. We still whipped through Dumbledore's speech only catching about 2/3rds of it (we came in after it had started and exited before it started again), but caught all of the trio's bit. Finally we made it all way to the sorting hat--whipping by without even a chance to snap a pic--we didn't want anyone to pass us at this point! We were almost on!Just as the line had dwindled to only about 4 people in front of us--we could see the benches being loaded!--the whole thing...yes...came to a screeching halt. gulp.
They quickly announced though that it would be a brief wait and then it would be back up. Sure enough, five minutes later, it was rolling again and before we knew it we were on!!!
The ride was phenomenal!! My 10 year old, who doesn't like scary things at all, even got over her fears in light of the wonder and thrill of it all and decided right away that she definitely wanted to do it again at least once before we went home. While we were on the ride though there was another glitch--it shut down while we were about halfway through. Our bench was up high and tilted quite far to the left--not the most comfortable position to hang out in, but at least we weren't face down as I'm certain at least one bench must have been. We hung out in that position for about five minutes, hoping it wouldn't go on for too long, and then they got us going again. We were able to finish out the rest of the ride from that point as if nothing had happened--only a quick pause to catch our breath I suppose.
After the long wait in the green house we were ready to go back to the room for a while. We hit Honeydukes and Zonko's, braving the shoulder to shoulder crowd, so we could get all of our chocolate stuff before heading back to the room. They won't deliver any chocolate or other perishables to your room or the front of the park for you. We know why now, too. Thankfully we didn't spring for the $10 choc frogs, but the kids did each get a Honeyduke's dark chocolate. We left Honeydukes with our new prized possessions in hand, walked straight through IOA, got straight on a boat to RP and then went straight up to our rooms only to find that the chocolate bars had already melted into a squishy mess. It. Was. Hot!
We laid the choc bars, still in their wrappers, out on the marble vanity top and left them to re-harden. They were still delicious although not nearly as pretty as I'm sure they would have been--certainly not photo worthy!
This post is getting quite long now, so I'll go ahead and post it and start on a new one: Stay tuned for the second part of our first day as well as our very VERY short second day in WWoHP.
Momw/aplan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2009
- Messages
- 367
Okay. So. After an hour or so back at our room we started to feel slightly human again. Time to hit the park for our second go around!
Before we had left WW in the a.m. we had asked around to see if anyone knew how long WW would be open that day--this was supposed to be our long day in the park, IOA wouldn't be closing until 9pm (and would close at 6:00 our second day), so if we had any chance at all of seeing Hogsmeade and Hogwarts at night, today would be it. No one could really tell us though. They didn't know.
So anyway, after our cooling off period in the room we headed over to Mytho's for a late lunch--it was about 2:00 by the time we got there. I'll just say simply: I LOVE Mythos!
After Mythos- about 3:00- we headed back over to WW. It was still open! The line for Olivander's didn't look too bad. We got in line...just as the bottom fell out of the sky. Here's a hint--don't try to put on a poncho in the rain while you are wet. It doesn't go so well.
The line had grown long behind us though and we didn't want to get out of line to go for cover. It took forever and some major contortions, but we finally wrestled everyone's ponchos on. By the time we got into Olivander's though we were actually hoping the third time would NOT be a charm--we were too wet to get out our camera and video cameras to document everything if one of the kids did get chosen. Thankfully neither did, plus hey, it was nice and dry in the store.
After that we hung out in the Owlery, bought some postcards and postage and waited for the storm to slack up.
After the rain slowed and the thunder and lightening stopped enough to go back out in it we finally found one very official looking person standing at the entrance to WW who could finally tell us that the area "could possibly be open all day but just to be safe assume it would close at 6:00." It would not be dark at 6:00. We crossed our fingers though and hoped for the best. We rode FotH a couple more times after the storm stopped--soaking in the fact that the temp had dropped by about 20 degrees because of it! Yay!
We took some pictures, visited Myrtle again, but just as we were hoping to get another--drier--try at Olivander's, security started systematically shutting the area down. It was almost 6:00 when they put up a barrier blocking off FotH and FJ, they swept that area out and then slowly moved the barrier forward toward the entrance, so we went ahead and left. There would be no nighttime experience for us.
We did however spend the remainder of our evening enjoying the rest of IOA.
**My family is now waiting on me to stop typing so we can eat lunch. I'll be back this afternoon to finish up! Thanks for hanging in there with me for these huge postings--if anyone in fact has.
Before we had left WW in the a.m. we had asked around to see if anyone knew how long WW would be open that day--this was supposed to be our long day in the park, IOA wouldn't be closing until 9pm (and would close at 6:00 our second day), so if we had any chance at all of seeing Hogsmeade and Hogwarts at night, today would be it. No one could really tell us though. They didn't know.
So anyway, after our cooling off period in the room we headed over to Mytho's for a late lunch--it was about 2:00 by the time we got there. I'll just say simply: I LOVE Mythos!
After Mythos- about 3:00- we headed back over to WW. It was still open! The line for Olivander's didn't look too bad. We got in line...just as the bottom fell out of the sky. Here's a hint--don't try to put on a poncho in the rain while you are wet. It doesn't go so well.
The line had grown long behind us though and we didn't want to get out of line to go for cover. It took forever and some major contortions, but we finally wrestled everyone's ponchos on. By the time we got into Olivander's though we were actually hoping the third time would NOT be a charm--we were too wet to get out our camera and video cameras to document everything if one of the kids did get chosen. Thankfully neither did, plus hey, it was nice and dry in the store. After that we hung out in the Owlery, bought some postcards and postage and waited for the storm to slack up.
After the rain slowed and the thunder and lightening stopped enough to go back out in it we finally found one very official looking person standing at the entrance to WW who could finally tell us that the area "could possibly be open all day but just to be safe assume it would close at 6:00." It would not be dark at 6:00. We crossed our fingers though and hoped for the best. We rode FotH a couple more times after the storm stopped--soaking in the fact that the temp had dropped by about 20 degrees because of it! Yay!
We took some pictures, visited Myrtle again, but just as we were hoping to get another--drier--try at Olivander's, security started systematically shutting the area down. It was almost 6:00 when they put up a barrier blocking off FotH and FJ, they swept that area out and then slowly moved the barrier forward toward the entrance, so we went ahead and left. There would be no nighttime experience for us.
We did however spend the remainder of our evening enjoying the rest of IOA.
**My family is now waiting on me to stop typing so we can eat lunch. I'll be back this afternoon to finish up! Thanks for hanging in there with me for these huge postings--if anyone in fact has.
damo
Proud Redhead
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2001
- Messages
- 37,835
You can hear her in the washrooms in WW. The washrooms are done really well. The only problem is that once the noisy hand dryers are on, they drown out Moaning Myrtle's voice.
Momw/aplan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2009
- Messages
- 367
Yeah. Our first couple of visits you could hear Myrtle's voice but couldn't make out anything she was saying. On our final visit though just before we left the area for good we were the only ones in there and we could hear her much better. She told us how no one ever pays any attention to her and then she even begged us not to go! We wanted SO badly to comply! We apologized to her profusely and reassured her we were most definitely not leaving by choice.
nodoubtrock
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2007
- Messages
- 148
glad you had a good time and everything worked out..Just have an opposite opinion about the drinks..didn't like the pumpkin juice (just tasted mostly like apple juice and other juices/flavors mixed in) but liked the butter beer. although I only had the small cup size of butter beer and had to drink water right after b/c it was so sweet. Also glad you enjoyed FJ..I didn't care for the ride itself..felt a little sick after..kind of like the feeling i have after going on the simpsons but worse..the theme is fantastic though so i kept walking the que over and over..
Momw/aplan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2009
- Messages
- 367
And yay; I'm glad some people are actually reading my long ramblings!
Our second (and final) day in Wizarding World started just as early as our first. We got to the turnstiles a little later though as we were dragging a bit more at this point. No problem though, it just meant less time waiting in the heat before we went in.
The on-site only crowd seemed smaller on this morning. I don't know if it actually was or if it just seemed that way because now we had a general public frame of reference for it from the previous morning's post-9a.m. crowd.
Anyway, as we entered the area however we were informed repeatedly and quite loudly that the area would in fact be closed firmly and promptly at 10a.m. They had a party to get ready for.
As the reality set in that our final moments in Hogsmeade would come long before we'd hoped we made a mad dash to take all the pictures, buy all the stuff, and do all the things we'd not already gotten done.
We were able to get all the merchandise we intended to buy--the stores we're not even a fraction as crowded as they'd been the previous morning--plus we got one more ride on FJ with very little wait and no glitches (this second ride was even more fun than the first!), but best of all, the minimal crowds allowed us to make several very quick cycles through Olivander's. On our first attempt this morning we walked up right as a group went in and there was no one else in line! We were the first ones in the door for the next batch...but still didn't get picked.
We went straight through the Owl Post and back out in line. This time there were about 10 or so people in front of us...but once in...the shop keepers eye went straight to my daughter! She was really excited, but oh so solemn--she took the whole ceremony as seriously as could be. She had the time of her life!
After that it was right back out in line again, fingers crossed son would get a chance as well. After about two more attempts with no luck, the very nice witch posted at the door who we'd been chatting with all morning in our various attempts stepped in with us and whispered to the shop keeper...
...finally son got the chance he'd waited SO patiently for! (He'd even kept his chin up the next to last time when a grown woman in the back of the room (there on her first attempt) had been chosen over him--I was quite proud of him for not getting at least a little frustrated at that point! I'd even braced myself for at least a pout, but instead all I got was a quick sad glance from him and the he faced forward and smiled while she had her turn. He did his Mama proud! And he's only 7!
)<--and maybe this will also give some of you adults out there who'd like to get picked a little bit of hope, too!?! It can happen!
Finally, with both kids chosen by their very own wands, we took a few farewell spins on FotH with no wait at all, took a quick break for a snack--A Rock Cake which, despite its name was delicious (a lot like a giant scone but even better) and a chocolate Cauldron Cake (scrumptious beyond words--like chocolate heaven in my mouth!) and one last bottle of Pumpkin Juice. We HAD to have that second bottle of Pumpkin Juice before we left so each kid would have an empty bottle to keep--They look the same empty as they do full--brown plastic--so they make a GREAT souvenir. Plus, I mean seriously, it's the best thing called juice I've ever drank!!!
Why oh why didn't I buy a case to bring home with me??? I'm seriously going through withdrawal now.
After our snack I snapped away quickly on my camera just in case they really did kick us out at 10. I got a lot of really great pics--the crowd was SO minimal. Finally I had it down to the one last shot I could think of that I hadn't gotten yet--a picture of the entrance with the 'respect the spell limits' sign with a straight shot down Hogsmeade below it. I hadn't had time to stop either morning and had forgotten about it when we'd returned the previous afternoon.
As we made our way towards the front though--also hoping to maybe get a quick pic with the Hogwarts Express conductor, something else I hadn't gotten done yet and had almost forgotten about-- security started approaching us from the closed front gate. The area was officially shut down. We were all promptly escorted to the back of the area to say our very quick final goodbye as we left through the rear entrance. I wasn't ready to leave yet knowing we may never go back! 
I never got that entry way pic, and we never got to see the Triwizard Rally (w/ Beuxbaton and Durmstrang) which we really wanted to see, and we didn't get to see the area at anything approaching night. Those are my three biggest regrets. However, being there pre-GO did allow us to loop through Olivander's often enough to get both kids chosen and it was quite an experience! No way that would happen with the hour long waits they have now.
The rest of our day in IOA was shortened as well--the whole park closed at 6 PLUS a series of thunderstorms all afternoon kept shutting all the rides down. It was a bit of a bummer, but we worked around it the best we could.
Over all I'm very VERY pleased with our experience. We easily could have spent several more hours in there that second day if given the chance, and I SO wish we'd had another day or two after that. But I am grateful for the experience we had. I would LOVE to go back again some day. I just hope it's not TOO long in the distant future before we can afford it again.
I do still stand by my initial frustrations with Universal over their lack of communication regarding what we were buying. I did make a polite but formal 'customer comment' regarding my frustrations before our trip and I find it very interesting that their response to a complaint regarding their lack of communication was to...well...not respond at all. However, seeing as how this whole GO fiasco was a very specific circumstance that isn't likely to happen again, I would not hesitate to return to Universal if given the chance. I loved the whole park and especially The Wizarding World area. It's my new favorite place to be! 
Now, if we can just get Universal to do something about that weather. I mean seriously.
Our second (and final) day in Wizarding World started just as early as our first. We got to the turnstiles a little later though as we were dragging a bit more at this point. No problem though, it just meant less time waiting in the heat before we went in.
The on-site only crowd seemed smaller on this morning. I don't know if it actually was or if it just seemed that way because now we had a general public frame of reference for it from the previous morning's post-9a.m. crowd.
Anyway, as we entered the area however we were informed repeatedly and quite loudly that the area would in fact be closed firmly and promptly at 10a.m. They had a party to get ready for.
As the reality set in that our final moments in Hogsmeade would come long before we'd hoped we made a mad dash to take all the pictures, buy all the stuff, and do all the things we'd not already gotten done.
We were able to get all the merchandise we intended to buy--the stores we're not even a fraction as crowded as they'd been the previous morning--plus we got one more ride on FJ with very little wait and no glitches (this second ride was even more fun than the first!), but best of all, the minimal crowds allowed us to make several very quick cycles through Olivander's. On our first attempt this morning we walked up right as a group went in and there was no one else in line! We were the first ones in the door for the next batch...but still didn't get picked.
We went straight through the Owl Post and back out in line. This time there were about 10 or so people in front of us...but once in...the shop keepers eye went straight to my daughter! She was really excited, but oh so solemn--she took the whole ceremony as seriously as could be. She had the time of her life!
After that it was right back out in line again, fingers crossed son would get a chance as well. After about two more attempts with no luck, the very nice witch posted at the door who we'd been chatting with all morning in our various attempts stepped in with us and whispered to the shop keeper...
...finally son got the chance he'd waited SO patiently for! (He'd even kept his chin up the next to last time when a grown woman in the back of the room (there on her first attempt) had been chosen over him--I was quite proud of him for not getting at least a little frustrated at that point! I'd even braced myself for at least a pout, but instead all I got was a quick sad glance from him and the he faced forward and smiled while she had her turn. He did his Mama proud! And he's only 7!
)<--and maybe this will also give some of you adults out there who'd like to get picked a little bit of hope, too!?! It can happen!Finally, with both kids chosen by their very own wands, we took a few farewell spins on FotH with no wait at all, took a quick break for a snack--A Rock Cake which, despite its name was delicious (a lot like a giant scone but even better) and a chocolate Cauldron Cake (scrumptious beyond words--like chocolate heaven in my mouth!) and one last bottle of Pumpkin Juice. We HAD to have that second bottle of Pumpkin Juice before we left so each kid would have an empty bottle to keep--They look the same empty as they do full--brown plastic--so they make a GREAT souvenir. Plus, I mean seriously, it's the best thing called juice I've ever drank!!!
Why oh why didn't I buy a case to bring home with me??? I'm seriously going through withdrawal now.After our snack I snapped away quickly on my camera just in case they really did kick us out at 10. I got a lot of really great pics--the crowd was SO minimal. Finally I had it down to the one last shot I could think of that I hadn't gotten yet--a picture of the entrance with the 'respect the spell limits' sign with a straight shot down Hogsmeade below it. I hadn't had time to stop either morning and had forgotten about it when we'd returned the previous afternoon.
As we made our way towards the front though--also hoping to maybe get a quick pic with the Hogwarts Express conductor, something else I hadn't gotten done yet and had almost forgotten about-- security started approaching us from the closed front gate. The area was officially shut down. We were all promptly escorted to the back of the area to say our very quick final goodbye as we left through the rear entrance.
I wasn't ready to leave yet knowing we may never go back! I never got that entry way pic, and we never got to see the Triwizard Rally (w/ Beuxbaton and Durmstrang) which we really wanted to see, and we didn't get to see the area at anything approaching night. Those are my three biggest regrets. However, being there pre-GO did allow us to loop through Olivander's often enough to get both kids chosen and it was quite an experience! No way that would happen with the hour long waits they have now.
The rest of our day in IOA was shortened as well--the whole park closed at 6 PLUS a series of thunderstorms all afternoon kept shutting all the rides down. It was a bit of a bummer, but we worked around it the best we could.
Over all I'm very VERY pleased with our experience. We easily could have spent several more hours in there that second day if given the chance, and I SO wish we'd had another day or two after that. But I am grateful for the experience we had. I would LOVE to go back again some day. I just hope it's not TOO long in the distant future before we can afford it again.
I do still stand by my initial frustrations with Universal over their lack of communication regarding what we were buying. I did make a polite but formal 'customer comment' regarding my frustrations before our trip and I find it very interesting that their response to a complaint regarding their lack of communication was to...well...not respond at all.
However, seeing as how this whole GO fiasco was a very specific circumstance that isn't likely to happen again, I would not hesitate to return to Universal if given the chance. I loved the whole park and especially The Wizarding World area. It's my new favorite place to be! Now, if we can just get Universal to do something about that weather. I mean seriously.
I'm so happy that both your kids were able to get picked at Ollivanders! Good for your DS for handling not getting picked at Ollivanders at first so well. And may I also comment that I really am happy that despite your initial frustrations with Universal, you were able to still have a good trip!
I am so very glad you had an excellent vacation despite your initial misgivings. Our family loves Universal as well as Disney. Both companies have unique perspectives on "the theme park experience"!
For me as a mom..(tears are welling up in my eyes)...nothing, I repeat nothing, could have topped having my young children still in the heart of that oh-so-short, very, very magic age...both being picked by their wands. That ticket can't be bought. That memory can't be improved. That experience couldn't be guaranteed...and yet it happened. It happens for precious few. It happened for you. Unbelievable!
...and that dear friends and readers is real magic.
For me as a mom..(tears are welling up in my eyes)...nothing, I repeat nothing, could have topped having my young children still in the heart of that oh-so-short, very, very magic age...both being picked by their wands. That ticket can't be bought. That memory can't be improved. That experience couldn't be guaranteed...and yet it happened. It happens for precious few. It happened for you. Unbelievable!
...and that dear friends and readers is real magic.
mjohnson96
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 20, 2009
- Messages
- 1,848
You are so right there, we never even tried to get in becuase the lines were so long that opening week. Hopefully when we go back in February we will be able to do this.
DD did get a wand that she picked and I have to send it back because the tip broke off. But Unviersal said to just mail it in to them and they would replace it for me so I'm off to the postoffice now.
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