amazingact21
Upendi
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- Nov 6, 2010
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July 14th Part 3:
With Alex needing a proper lunch, my group headed towards the Ministry of Magic portal. I absolutely love the way Universal designed the entrances to each land, really using all their tools to make you believe you are going into a new theme.
For 1920s Paris, guests step through a Time Turner, and if you listen closely you can hear the ticking as you pass through.
The big awe factor is this Arc de Trump with magical creatures all along the edges and a massive phoenix as the centerpiece.
And then, just like Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, the land is a long street with shops on either side. It’s a stunning area with so much to look at and admire. This is the perfect land to grab a drink and stroll around in, taking your time and trying to catch sight of all the creatures strewn about.
But of course, that was NOT what was necessary at this moment of our trip.
A shame not everyone could remember that.
Eddie and Leslie got caught up in the fun of the land when they saw the first magic spot, and they immediately pulled out their interactive wands and let the kids use them. (Landon and Evie had forgotten theirs at home.) There was also additional quests and activities on the Universal app, and the four of them began looking at what they entailed.
Meanwhile, Alex was standing on the street with his phone in hand, looking at food menus.
“Which restaurant sounds most appealing?”
He tried handing the device over to his siblings, but they were too distracted.
Uh Oh.
It wasn’t long before Alex exclaimed, “We can do magic later, I need food!”
Poor brother and sister in-law didn’t know what hit them. They didn’t realize their brother gets hangry, and when he says it’s lunchtime, that’s the highest priority. Very quickly, I ushered us towards Goblet Noir. I had seen online that the restaurant was always empty, because it’s tucked into an alleyway that most people miss, so I figured it would be the quickest place to get food.
The place really is a ghost town. There are four or five rooms with tons of tables and barely anybody inside. It’s dim and cool and there’s a massive amount of Easter Eggs inside. (I’ll go into those on our second Epic day.) This would be the perfect spot to camp out in during a thunderstorm or for an afternoon rest.
We chose tables near the Patronus photograph (I’ll explain later!) and mobile ordered our lunches. While we waited, we let the kids take pictures and play Solitaire on their devices:
Alex and I were disoriented for a second, watching the kids. It’s hard to wrap our heads around what a different phase of parenting we’re in now. This trip couldn’t have made that more apparent. It’s such a strange sensation. I miss the trips when they were little, but I love the dynamic of the vacations now.
It’s a trade off. I can’t have both the hugs from toddler arms and the laughter of a teenager making a funny joke. My kids’ ages don’t allow me to have both. So I just have to take as many trips as I can with them at every single stage and soak up what I have in that moment.
For this past summer, it was this. Lanky preteens playing music from their playlists, then talking a mile a minute about how awesome Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was and shoving the fan too close to their sibling’s face.
It was perfect.
Them sitting in their strollers ten years ago, hollering for an Uncrustable was perfect.
Them rushing onto Thunder Mountain during a Villains After Hours party was perfect.
And one day, I know, them running off to accomplish their own plans in the park, returning to us and recapping their adventures, will be perfect.
Gosh, I love these two kiddos.
Moving along, our drinks came out first. We got a few Butterbeers to split. A hot version was a must for Alex, with a frozen thrown in for good measure. We also tried the lavender lemonade. Landon loved this drink and said it was his favorite drink at Epic.
It was cool and refreshing on a hot day. A little tart and not overly sweet. But when Alex took a sip he told me, “I don’t want to say what it tastes like, because then you won’t like it.”
Well, you can’t say something like that and then NOT tell me what you’re thinking. Reluctantly, he announced that he tasted grape flavoring in the concoction.
And he was right.
I took another sip and immediately didn’t like it.
I HATE artificial grape. Hate, hate, hate it with a passion. Love grapes. Like wine. Tolerate raisins. But fake grape? Gross!
I think it’s because growing up my mother always got grape flavored medicine and I grew to associate it with illness. But now I cannot stand the taste. So much to my consternation, Alex was right. He said it, I could only picture grape when I drank it, and so it right away became Landon and Evie’s drink.
You’re welcome, kids.
Landon, Alex, and I got the bratwurst meal that came on a pretzel roll with cheese and caramelized onions and a side salad. Evie and Leslie split the roast beef sandwich.
This brat was so, so good! The jam, the onions, it all worked together really well. And having a salad was nice. It was light and refreshing.
Lunch was a winner!
And Alex was in a much better mood with real food in his stomach. His siblings joked that he was a brand new person. They also proclaimed, “Now we know. We’ve got about a twenty minute window from the time Alex says he’s hungry to when we need to have something on a plate in front of him.”
Indeed.
Walking back outside, I admired all the posters plastered to the walls:
There was even a moving picture frame with Professor Trelawney that guests could activate with an interactive wand.
Leslie hopped on the Universal app and discovered that Ministry of Magic was down. This attraction tends to be down a lot, so while we weren’t surprised, we were a little letdown. The hope was to hop in line and wait since we were all fed and happy.
Our group walked over to the ride entrance to see if we could at least walk through the queue to see the inside, but Team Members were turning everyone away. I recommend anyone who is not very interested riding the attraction do this method. The walkthrough takes you through the most breathtaking parts and saves a ton of time. It was a brilliant idea on Universal to design the entrance and exit in this way, and I hope parks continue this method on future e-ticket attractions.
Nobody in the group wanted to leave the portal in case Ministry came back online quickly, so everyone decided to wander around and do some magic. Along the way, Leslie and I made it to Bar Moonshine:
It seemed a shame to pass up an opportunity to try the popular Lobe Blaster, a cocktail with moonshine, limoncello, absinthe, lemon juice, club soda, and a rosemary sprig.
Whoa boy. I think the ingredients speak for themselves. That beverage packed a punch. Leslie and I were glad we split one. I think I would’ve taken a nap on the stoop of one of those facades had I had my own.
About fifteen minutes passed with the kids finding the magic spots, the adults pointing out discoveries, and our phones constantly refreshing the Universal attractions page. Along the way, I found my favorite building:
And Leslie suggested we go inside and watch the Le Cirque Arcanus show.
I’m torn on whether or not I say if this show was worth a visit or not. The storyline and sets were gorgeous. The bubble blower act was well done, and it fit into the theme of the land very well. Plus, it’s a break from the heat. Can’t discount that.
But there is a pre-show area that Leslie and I did not like at all. The introduction to the story was great, but Universal crammed as many people as possible into the circular room for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.
It was too long.
Little kids were getting restless around us, the stank of so many summer sweaty bodies was overwhelming, and by the end nobody was listening to the performers. Everyone just wanted some breathing room and a seat to collapse in.
If Universal could make that section a lot shorter, I’d be willing to go back. But as it is, it was too claustrophobic for me.
Upon leaving the show, Ministry was still down and the day was ticking away. There was a certain preteen in the group that was starting to get antsy. He made several comments along the line of, “Evie got to see her portal. When do I get to go to mine?”
He wasn’t wrong.
Landon was itching to go into MarioWorld, and he’d waited through two shows, a coaster, a lunch, and a snack so far to be able to do it. No matter how bad we wanted to go on Ministry, it wasn’t fair to keep Landon from his must-do any longer.
Giving Ministry a forlorn look, the six of us headed out of the portal.
Up Next: How Did We End Up Here?
With Alex needing a proper lunch, my group headed towards the Ministry of Magic portal. I absolutely love the way Universal designed the entrances to each land, really using all their tools to make you believe you are going into a new theme.
For 1920s Paris, guests step through a Time Turner, and if you listen closely you can hear the ticking as you pass through.
The big awe factor is this Arc de Trump with magical creatures all along the edges and a massive phoenix as the centerpiece.
And then, just like Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, the land is a long street with shops on either side. It’s a stunning area with so much to look at and admire. This is the perfect land to grab a drink and stroll around in, taking your time and trying to catch sight of all the creatures strewn about.
But of course, that was NOT what was necessary at this moment of our trip.
A shame not everyone could remember that.
Eddie and Leslie got caught up in the fun of the land when they saw the first magic spot, and they immediately pulled out their interactive wands and let the kids use them. (Landon and Evie had forgotten theirs at home.) There was also additional quests and activities on the Universal app, and the four of them began looking at what they entailed.
Meanwhile, Alex was standing on the street with his phone in hand, looking at food menus.
“Which restaurant sounds most appealing?”
He tried handing the device over to his siblings, but they were too distracted.
Uh Oh.
It wasn’t long before Alex exclaimed, “We can do magic later, I need food!”
Poor brother and sister in-law didn’t know what hit them. They didn’t realize their brother gets hangry, and when he says it’s lunchtime, that’s the highest priority. Very quickly, I ushered us towards Goblet Noir. I had seen online that the restaurant was always empty, because it’s tucked into an alleyway that most people miss, so I figured it would be the quickest place to get food.
The place really is a ghost town. There are four or five rooms with tons of tables and barely anybody inside. It’s dim and cool and there’s a massive amount of Easter Eggs inside. (I’ll go into those on our second Epic day.) This would be the perfect spot to camp out in during a thunderstorm or for an afternoon rest.
We chose tables near the Patronus photograph (I’ll explain later!) and mobile ordered our lunches. While we waited, we let the kids take pictures and play Solitaire on their devices:
Alex and I were disoriented for a second, watching the kids. It’s hard to wrap our heads around what a different phase of parenting we’re in now. This trip couldn’t have made that more apparent. It’s such a strange sensation. I miss the trips when they were little, but I love the dynamic of the vacations now.
It’s a trade off. I can’t have both the hugs from toddler arms and the laughter of a teenager making a funny joke. My kids’ ages don’t allow me to have both. So I just have to take as many trips as I can with them at every single stage and soak up what I have in that moment.
For this past summer, it was this. Lanky preteens playing music from their playlists, then talking a mile a minute about how awesome Hiccup’s Wing Gliders was and shoving the fan too close to their sibling’s face.
It was perfect.
Them sitting in their strollers ten years ago, hollering for an Uncrustable was perfect.
Them rushing onto Thunder Mountain during a Villains After Hours party was perfect.
And one day, I know, them running off to accomplish their own plans in the park, returning to us and recapping their adventures, will be perfect.
Gosh, I love these two kiddos.
Moving along, our drinks came out first. We got a few Butterbeers to split. A hot version was a must for Alex, with a frozen thrown in for good measure. We also tried the lavender lemonade. Landon loved this drink and said it was his favorite drink at Epic.
It was cool and refreshing on a hot day. A little tart and not overly sweet. But when Alex took a sip he told me, “I don’t want to say what it tastes like, because then you won’t like it.”
Well, you can’t say something like that and then NOT tell me what you’re thinking. Reluctantly, he announced that he tasted grape flavoring in the concoction.
And he was right.
I took another sip and immediately didn’t like it.
I HATE artificial grape. Hate, hate, hate it with a passion. Love grapes. Like wine. Tolerate raisins. But fake grape? Gross!
I think it’s because growing up my mother always got grape flavored medicine and I grew to associate it with illness. But now I cannot stand the taste. So much to my consternation, Alex was right. He said it, I could only picture grape when I drank it, and so it right away became Landon and Evie’s drink.
You’re welcome, kids.
Landon, Alex, and I got the bratwurst meal that came on a pretzel roll with cheese and caramelized onions and a side salad. Evie and Leslie split the roast beef sandwich.
This brat was so, so good! The jam, the onions, it all worked together really well. And having a salad was nice. It was light and refreshing.
Lunch was a winner!
And Alex was in a much better mood with real food in his stomach. His siblings joked that he was a brand new person. They also proclaimed, “Now we know. We’ve got about a twenty minute window from the time Alex says he’s hungry to when we need to have something on a plate in front of him.”
Indeed.
Walking back outside, I admired all the posters plastered to the walls:
There was even a moving picture frame with Professor Trelawney that guests could activate with an interactive wand.
Leslie hopped on the Universal app and discovered that Ministry of Magic was down. This attraction tends to be down a lot, so while we weren’t surprised, we were a little letdown. The hope was to hop in line and wait since we were all fed and happy.
Our group walked over to the ride entrance to see if we could at least walk through the queue to see the inside, but Team Members were turning everyone away. I recommend anyone who is not very interested riding the attraction do this method. The walkthrough takes you through the most breathtaking parts and saves a ton of time. It was a brilliant idea on Universal to design the entrance and exit in this way, and I hope parks continue this method on future e-ticket attractions.
Nobody in the group wanted to leave the portal in case Ministry came back online quickly, so everyone decided to wander around and do some magic. Along the way, Leslie and I made it to Bar Moonshine:
It seemed a shame to pass up an opportunity to try the popular Lobe Blaster, a cocktail with moonshine, limoncello, absinthe, lemon juice, club soda, and a rosemary sprig.
Whoa boy. I think the ingredients speak for themselves. That beverage packed a punch. Leslie and I were glad we split one. I think I would’ve taken a nap on the stoop of one of those facades had I had my own.
About fifteen minutes passed with the kids finding the magic spots, the adults pointing out discoveries, and our phones constantly refreshing the Universal attractions page. Along the way, I found my favorite building:
And Leslie suggested we go inside and watch the Le Cirque Arcanus show.
I’m torn on whether or not I say if this show was worth a visit or not. The storyline and sets were gorgeous. The bubble blower act was well done, and it fit into the theme of the land very well. Plus, it’s a break from the heat. Can’t discount that.
But there is a pre-show area that Leslie and I did not like at all. The introduction to the story was great, but Universal crammed as many people as possible into the circular room for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.
It was too long.
Little kids were getting restless around us, the stank of so many summer sweaty bodies was overwhelming, and by the end nobody was listening to the performers. Everyone just wanted some breathing room and a seat to collapse in.
If Universal could make that section a lot shorter, I’d be willing to go back. But as it is, it was too claustrophobic for me.
Upon leaving the show, Ministry was still down and the day was ticking away. There was a certain preteen in the group that was starting to get antsy. He made several comments along the line of, “Evie got to see her portal. When do I get to go to mine?”
He wasn’t wrong.
Landon was itching to go into MarioWorld, and he’d waited through two shows, a coaster, a lunch, and a snack so far to be able to do it. No matter how bad we wanted to go on Ministry, it wasn’t fair to keep Landon from his must-do any longer.
Giving Ministry a forlorn look, the six of us headed out of the portal.
Up Next: How Did We End Up Here?
That bag of snacks saves me a world of pain and she too is a whole new person after food. 
Love a road trip but they are much more fun when you're not rushed. Nice you could leave early. Exciting to explore a new park! LOVE the picture of your DD in her Viking costume - very cool. I bet the interaction with the actors made her day. So much to comment on - looking forward to reading more!
I hope to go to Disneyland once my kids are a bit older but I’m sad I’ll miss that attraction. My girls and I have watched it a lot on YouTube as my oldest and I love Monsters Inc.! (I’m excited about Monstropolis in Hollywood Studios but still a bit salty about losing Muppets Courtyard.)
