'Twas the Week Before Christmas... Done & where to find us next!

[flounderfan12]

 

[princessjv]

V- I didn't know you started a Dec. TR. I'm totally enjoying it, as always! I still wish you guys could have come when we were there. boo!

The condo is FAB! Enough space so you a the gma don't go nutso!

Looking foward to hearing the tale.

 

[PrincessV]

Hey, I was caught up a few minutes ago and then in comes another chapter!

I'm sneaky like that.

Wow, it sounded like a pain to get to Hogwarts, but once you got there you found it to be a very cool and special place.

That's what we thought, too - I guess it's some measure of crowd control to funnel us aaaalllll the way around the park, but it was a pretty light crowd; I'm not sure it was necessary.

Would the elevator have gotten you there faster than the myriad of escalators?

Good question - we don't know! No one was brave enough to try it coming back at the end of the day, lol!

I haven't seen any pictures before of some of the indoor things you took, such as the Portrait Room, or Dumbledore's, or the Sorting Hat....so thanks! I think the Portrait Room would be really cool, I'd love to see it.

My pleasure! I hadn't seen much of the inside, either, so I really wanted to capture it. I can't express how dark it is in there - I had to work hard at the human tripod technique while that shutter sat, and sat, and sat open.

#1 I feel SO much less guilty about not going to Universal knowing that you, someone who lives SO much closer it to it than I do, JUST did her first trip there. Thanks, V!

LOL, you're welcome! Yeah, it's never sounded good for us, given Leo's small stature and fear of the unknown. Until now.

We quickly vowed not to return unless there was a very good reason to do so. And.. WWOHP is a VERY good reason to do so!

Worth the price of admission alone, IMO!

#2 The GOOD camera ROCKS!!! What AWESOME pictures! Totally print-worthy.

Thank you!

#3 The FABULOUS review of FJ. Thank you SO much... very informative!

I know quite a few of my WDW peeps are considering WWOHP soonish, so I wanted to give all the information I can.

I had to laugh at your description on how to get to the park from the parking lot at universal. It has been about 7 years since I was there...but I remember that same thing...and thinking..."ok we have to be just about there now".

Right?! It was crazy!

WWOHP looks interesting. I really do think someday I might want to go... somday.... for now though I always seem to be planning my next WDW trip.

I HIGHLY recommend it and I'll add this: it's not at all inconvenient from WDW; just a short jaunt east on I-4, maybe 15 minutes.

Ok, I am far from a HP fan but seeing your pictures makes me want to go see just because of all the detail!

The detailing is just phenomenal - on a par with the absolute best of which WDW is capable... and possibly even better!

You are right, I bet the weather fit the mood perfectly.

LOL, it really was! And it wasn't too chilly - just right for jackets.

Thanks!

V- I didn't know you started a Dec. TR. I'm totally enjoying it, as always! I still wish you guys could have come when we were there. boo!

Yay, thanks for coming Jen! I know - I'm still so sad we missed you!

The condo is FAB! Enough space so you a the gma don't go nutso!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Amazing job V!

I've never done the IOA or Universal Flordia thing either so your report was great. I LOVE The photos! I'm so happy you brought the "good" camera.

Very well done my friend!

 

[hucifer]

I loved this installment! I'm dying to get to Universal's Hogwarts someday.

I’ve lived in Florida almost 20 years and not once have I been to either Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure (IOA).

What what WHAT???

Our focus would be WWOHP; when we’d had enough there, we’d check out Jurassic Park and the Spiderman ride.

Don't even tell me that you missed the Spiderman ride. That bad boy is one of my favorite rides ever.

Steerage guests parked on the roof of what might be the world’s largest parking garage. On the Steerage roof was an elevator, but it said not where it went. All signs reading “To Parks” pointed toward an escalator. Which took us down a level, where more signs reading “To Parks” led us to another escalator, which took us down a level, where more signs reading “To Parks” led us to another escalator, which took us down a level, where more signs reading “To Parks” led us to another escalator… and so on, until we reached… a big ol’ round room. From which we boarded a conveyer belt that took us to another big room, from which we boarded a conveyer belt that took us to another big room, from which we boarded a conveyer belt that took us to… City Walk. We then had to hoof it through City Walk to the IOA gates.

Ummm...wow. We got dropped off by a Mears bus somewhere on the edges of Steerage Parking, close to City Walk. I highly recommend that route.

Let’s talk about City Walk, a visitor’s first glimpse of the Universal/IOA park experience. It’s LOUD. Like, really, really loud. As in music blaring at top volume. As in the Marshall amps turned all the way up to 11. At 8ish a.m.

I remember City Walk being too loud back in 2003. Some things never change, I guess. Isn't it amazing, the differences between Disney and Universal? It seems like Universal tries so hard to be like Disney, but falls short in every category.

We were completely and totally immersed in the place we’ve come to know and love through the amazing storytelling of J.K. Rowling!

I can’t remember the exact order, but we went through the portrait hall, where the portraits of Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Godric Gryffindor were moving and conversing among themselves. Very, very cool!

OMG!!! I soooooooooo want to see this!!!

In a word… meh. I’d describe the motion as something akin to Soarin’, but on a moving track and with side-to-side motion added to the flying, swaying feeling. This is accompanied by INTENSE visuals of both the simulated (video) and real-life (animatronic) varieties. The technology is interesting, but I didn’t find it all that earth-shattering. But I’m an art history major, so what do I know? The motion made me very, very nauseous. This is important and weird because I have a cast iron stomach; hardly anything makes me feel sick.

Well that's disappointing.

 

[jcc0621]

For the first time. EVER.

No?!

Can you believe that? EVER. I’ve lived in Florida almost 20 years and not once have I been to either Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure (IOA).

Nope! Have you been to Gatorland, CYpress Gardens (before it closed for the final time?), Kennedy Space Center????

1. We needed to be there when the park opened to non-Universal resort guests. Which happened to be at 8:00 a.m. Ugh.

The one thing I noticed was that US/IOA seems to close sooner than WDW

On top of that, I was totally unprepared for how much time it would take to get to a park gate. I chose regular parking, rather than Preferred or Valet.

I am so sorry, I should have warned you about this and steered (no pun intended) to the preferred or valet. So wirht the money

We were completely and totally immersed in the place we’ve come to know and love through the amazing storytelling of J.K. Rowling!

I am thinking I might need to actually read the books before we go back

Next: WOHP Part Two: a wand chooses Leo and we fly with the Hippogriff

Can't wait to here more

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

I can't WAIT to go to Potter world!!


More, please!

 

[PrincessV]

Amazing job V!

I've never done the IOA or Universal Flordia thing either so your report was great. I LOVE The photos! I'm so happy you brought the "good" camera.

Very well done my friend!

Thank GB! I was definitely "shutter happy" in Potter World, lol!

I loved this installment! I'm dying to get to Universal's Hogwarts someday.

It's so, so cool!

Don't even tell me that you missed the Spiderman ride.

I remember City Walk being too loud back in 2003. Some things never change, I guess. Isn't it amazing, the differences between Disney and Universal? It seems like Universal tries so hard to be like Disney, but falls short in every category.

I think that's part of why I enjoy Busch Gardens and Sea World so much - neither makes any pretense of trying to be like WDW; they do their own things and do it extremely well.

Well that's disappointing.

But, see, you might really like it! I really didn't expect not to - I've read so many others say how fantastic FJ is, but something just didn't work for me.

No?!

Yes!

Have you been to Gatorland, CYpress Gardens (before it closed for the final time?), Kennedy Space Center????

Nope, nope and nope. BUT... we've been to Dinosaur World, remember?!

The one thing I noticed was that US/IOA seems to close sooner than WDW

Until WWOHP, and excepting the Halloween stuff, I don't think US/IOA's attendance has ever been near as high as WDW's parks, so that may be why. When they moved opening time from 9am to 8am, I feared we were in big trouble!

I am so sorry, I should have warned you about this and steered (no pun intended) to the preferred or valet. So wirht the money

Yep, I'm definitely budgeting for Preferred next time, lol!

I can't WAIT to go to Potter world!!

I can't wait to see you guys go to Potter World, hopefully with us!

More, please!

Soon!

 

[PrincessV]

That’s right – the $30 stick. I’ll get to that shortly.

First, though, let’s pick up where I left off, leaving the Forbidden Journey and moving on to our next ride… Flight of the Hippogriff (FOTH)!

This was Leo’s pick and he was very excited about it. Yes, he knew full-well that it was essentially a fancy Barnstormer, but the boy loves him some Barnstormer, so it was all good with him. I left the Good Camera with Gramma because I wasn’t sure which rides at IOA made you ditch your stuff before riding… FYI, you can bring it all on FOTH.

The wait time was posted at 30 minutes. More than I’d ever wait for the Barnstormer, but we weren’t worrying about waiting, remember? We were soaking all the Potter in, and the queue for FOTH isn’t a bad way to pass time; Hagrid’s hut is on one side, complete with his garden of ginormous pumpkins…

… and the Hippogriff himself – Buckbeak – is on the other side, sitting in his nest and bowing to the riders as the coaster ascends the lift hill. It was pretty neat, though I’d not want to be there longer than 30 minutes.

As for the ride – well, it’s a fancy Barnstormer. Perhaps a second or two longer in length, but same idea. Leo loved it though, and I’m fine riding any coaster, so we were both happy Muggles.


So, if you’ve read about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWOHP), you may know that you can have a wand choose you there. One method of this is to visit Ollivander’s Wand Shop, attend the show and, if not selected to participate in said show, to proceed from there into the shop and buy a wand.

But there’s another method. And it doesn’t require standing in the hour-plus-long line to enter Ollivander’s… there’s a cart. Just outside FOTH. Apparently the wands there are more limited and different from those at Ollivander’s, but Leo didn’t know that.

I was in need of the ladies’ room, so I left Leo with Gramma to select a wand, er… have a wand select him, since Gramma was paying.

By the way, you absolutely MUST visit the restroom within WWOHP if you go – it’s an experience in itself! First of all, IOA was doing crowd control IN THE LADIES ROOM! Two staff members were working in tandem, one doing spot checks on stalls as they emptied, the other calling out “Two open down here, next two ladies please!” I was quite impressed with how they kept the line – yes, line – moving. But what’s even cooler is that Moaning Myrtle hangs out in there, chatting away. I kid you not – we all left that ladies’ room smiling! Leo reports that Myrtle hangs out in the men's room, too, so guys - you're not left out.


Ahem, back to the wand. Otherwise known as the $30 stick. I met back up with Gramma and Leo behind a Butterbeer cart and found that a Sirius Black wand had chosen Leo!

You can’t see it in that photo, but it’s very detailed – carved all over with what looks like Celtic shapes and symbols. It is, admittedly, a very pretty $30 stick. But a $30 stick it is – it doesn’t blink, squeak, beep, hiss or electrify. It won’t repair eyewear, turn anyone into a newt or inflict bodily harm, either. It is, indeed, a $30 stick.

But, Leo loves it and it’s been well-used since our trip. The $30 stick has been a wand, a cane, a baton, and a telephone, among other things.


Since we’d accomplished the only two rides in WWOHP in which we were interested, we decided to grab a couple Butterbeers, lean against a railing, and take it all in.

It was our first Butterbeer experience and I had fairly low expectations; I’d read that it was very, very sweet – and I don’t typically like things that sweet. Neither does Leo. I figured Gramma might be the only one who’d like it, so I only got a single Butterbeer for us all to try…

WE LOVED IT!!!

It was really, really yummy. Yes, it’s sweet, but not syrupy. I’m convinced it’s just cream soda, but they’ve used some kind of Guinness-like carbonation technology to produce small, soft bubbles and a super thick foam head. Even on a chilly day, it was delicious. It’s a must-try!


Despite bellies full of Butterbeer, we decided to head for the Three Broomsticks for lunch, hoping to beat the lunch crowd.

Or not.

It was 11:15ish am and the line was out the door. I think we waited in a queue for about 20 minutes just to place our order. The upside, though, is that it’s a pretty neat queue!

Signage outside the Three Broomsticks

The view standing in line outside

Looking up as we entered the building

Inside, looking out

This was neat – while waiting in line, you can browse all the food selections through this display window.

Finally, we made it to the end of the line… where we were asked how many were in our party… and directed to another line, this one numbered. Folks, WWOHP has Disney BEAT when it comes to handling crowds efficiently! First the ladies’ room, then this! They have a bunch of windows set up in a U-shape; think of three rows of bank teller windows arranged in a U with the customers on the inside. We waited behind two other parties at window #4 and then placed our order. Once ordered and paid, we were directed to another side of the U, where we again waited at another window #4 to pick up our food. We then took our trays and stood in another line, outside the U. This line traveled along a condiment/napkin/utensil wall, where we grabbed whatever we needed. At the end of the line, a cavalcade of staff members stood ready to assist – one asked for party sizes and kept a list of open tables, while others ran back and forth reporting on emptied and cleaned tables and escorting customers to open tables.

I know this process sounds convoluted and lengthy, but it was anything but. It was efficient, fast and it ensured that every customer received a clean table promptly and without wandering around the place with trays full of food, searching for somewhere to sit. Again, as we found later in the trip, this system blew WDW out of the water.

The only downside to it all was that, while no pressure was put on us to eat and run, we did kind of feel a civic duty not to loiter. And we really wanted to loiter in there. The Three Broomsticks is HUGE and there’s lots and lots to see! An upper floor is off limits to park guest, but is full of interesting things to look at, including constantly moving and changing shadows of brooms sweeping and house elves going about their chores.

And the food? Wonderful! Good, hearty fare that was perfect for a damp, chilly day: Gramma had the Cornish Pasties with salad, I had the Shepherd’s Pie with salad, and Leo had the kids’ chicken fingers. Oh, and we got another Butterbeer, this time in a refillable souvenir mug, and a Pumpkin Fizz. Every single thing was tasty!


After lunch, we decided to check out some of the shops. Crowd levels had picked up quite a bit by then, and we had a five-minute wait in line to enter Honeydukes, the candy shop. Honeydukes connects to Zonko’s joke shop and the day we visited, they had guests enter at one end of Honeydukes and exit through Zonko’s. So if you wanted to visit Zonko’s, you had to wait in line to enter Honeydukes. It was a good system; they kept the stores from being too crowded and people moved in an orderly fashion through the two shops.

We already knew we wanted a chocolate frog, as advertised in the window…

… and we quickly found Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, which was on our shopping list.

Even if you have no desire for Potter Candy, Honeydukes is worth seeing!

I found that I could do all of my shopping at both shops and pay once, so we continued on to Zonko’s passing by these beauties as we went…

Mmmm, Chocolate Cauldrons!


Zonoko’s, too, is a must-see, even if you don’t buy!

Extendible Ears, Boxing Telescopes, Inflatable Tongues, Fanged Flyers, Screaming Yo-Yo’s, and even your very own Pygmy Puff can be had! Also, these:

After buying our weight in merchandise and candy (yes, I got myself a Chocolate Cauldron to-go!), we spent a little more time absorbing WWOHP before venturing out into the rest of IOA.

The window displays are just incredible...

We never made it to Dervish & Bang’s or Ollivander’s; the wait to get in was just too much. And we knew we could always go back another time with our annual passes.


Next: “If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously.” And also, sometimes hysterically.

 

[glennbo123]

Oh my gosh V...this installment has sealed the deal -- we're going to have to visit WWOHP next time!

That’s right – the $30 stick. I’ll get to that shortly.

Oh boy. So that's what they run, huh?

But what’s even cooler is that Moaning Myrtle hangs out in there, chatting away. I kid you not – we all left that ladies’ room smiling!

No way! That's awesome!

Leo reports that Myrtle hangs out in the men's room, too, so guys - you're not left out.

Whew, I thought I was going to have to raid the ladies' room.

You know that Leo is just as cute as he can be, in every single picture, right?

At the end of the line, a cavalcade of staff members stood ready to assist – one asked for party sizes and kept a list of open tables, while others ran back and forth reporting on emptied and cleaned tables and escorting customers to open tables.

I know this process sounds convoluted and lengthy, but it was anything but. It was efficient, fast and it ensured that every customer received a clean table promptly and without wandering around the place with trays full of food, searching for somewhere to sit. Again, as we found later in the trip, this system blew WDW out of the water.

And it sounds like there's no "saving tables" while people are in line getting food.

Next: “If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously.” And also, sometimes hysterically.

Jurassic Park! (I didn't earn the title in my signature for nothing! )

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Oh wow, I love the way they handled lines. Is there anything worse that circling a restaurant with a starving child, large tray in hand, trying to find some sort of an open seat without spilling something? No way! It sounds very well coordinated. You should email these tips to Disney, V!

Love the $30 stick. The things Grammas do for their grandkiddos.

 

[jess98ac]

Wow!! I was already REALLY looking forward to seeing WWOHP, but now I CANNOT WAIT!! I'm hoping to get there in a couple years. We're heading to Orlando in April, but DD will be not quite 3, DH hates thrill rides, and I'll be 26 weeks PG, not exactly an ideal time to spend a day at IOA! Great installment, can't wait to see what you thought of the rest of the park!

 

[Sooze]

$30 Stick?!! That is genius! But you KNOW I'm totally buying one whenever I get myself to that place!

The thought of not having to stress about finding a table with a tray full of food is a wonderful thing. I'd love to see that in action!

Another super update! Thanks, V!!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Just read your latest with Mads. We're head over heels and can't wait for the 11-ish months to pass!!!

So we read about the $30 stick and Mads looks at me as says, "Bummer, Mom. You're going to have to cough up $60 for Evan and I to get our wands!" I sure hope TE and Waldo come.

Better start stashing quarters.

 

[princessjv]

How is Leo feeling about Barnstormers closure?

Ok, I have to admit from all of the descriptions of butter beer I too was thinking it was going to be thick... also for some reason I thought it was going to be warm.

I love me some cream soda.

I'm glad ds isn't at all interested in Harry Potter. I don't want to spend $30 on any stick/ You are a good mommy!

 

[DisneyJo]

OMG V it sounds amazing, I'd better get saving as we NEED to visit there. By the time I've saved hopefully it won't be so busy

Glad Leo is still using his $30 stick

 

[jcc0621]

This was Leo’s pick and he was very excited about it. Yes, he knew full-well that it was essentially a fancy Barnstormer, but the boy loves him some Barnstormer, so it was all good with him. I left the Good Camera with Gramma because I wasn’t sure which rides at IOA made you ditch your stuff before riding… FYI, you can bring it all on FOTH.[/QUOTE}

It was called soomething else before...I just can'r remember what!

Ahem, back to the wand. Otherwise known as the $30 stick. I met back up with Gramma and Leo behind a Butterbeer cart and found that a Sirius Black wand had chosen Leo!

Kind of glad that Jimmy isn't into Potter!

(yes, I got myself a Chocolate Cauldron to-go!),

How was it?

And also, sometimes hysterically.[/SIZE]

Uh oh!

So we read about the $30 stick and Mads looks at me as says, "Bummer, Mom. You're going to have to cough up $60 for Evan and I to get our wands!" I sure hope TE and Waldo come.

You and me both Jo

 

[luckylady]

Oh dear just showed my DD your son's wand and she is green. They didn't have Sirus wand when we were there in Juy and that's the one she wanted(ummm hello your 23 dear) and the bathroom with moaning Mona very cool that has been added. Hope you made it over to see Jurassic Park area as WWoHP is going to take it over. Great trip so far. Your son is such a handsome young man. Can't wait to read more.

 

[PrincessV]

Oh my gosh V...this installment has sealed the deal -- we're going to have to visit WWOHP next time!

Seldom do I recommend to people that anything is a "Must!" because opinions vary so, but WWOHP really is a Must!

Oh boy. So that's what they run, huh?

Yup. Worse yet, I think that's the starting price.

Whew, I thought I was going to have to raid the ladies' room.

You know that Leo is just as cute as he can be, in every single picture, right?

Only in the ones I keep, lol! Thanks

And it sounds like there's no "saving tables" while people are in line getting food.

Exactly! I was amazed at how well it worked.

Jurassic Park! (I didn't earn the title in my signature for nothing! )

Sooo many good lines in that movie from which to choose.

Oh wow, I love the way they handled lines. Is there anything worse that circling a restaurant with a starving child, large tray in hand, trying to find some sort of an open seat without spilling something?

Right?! Such a good system!

You should email these tips to Disney, V!

Y'know, you're absolutely right. I'm on it, thanks!

Wow!! I was already REALLY looking forward to seeing WWOHP, but now I CANNOT WAIT!! I'm hoping to get there in a couple years. We're heading to Orlando in April, but DD will be not quite 3, DH hates thrill rides, and I'll be 26 weeks PG, not exactly an ideal time to spend a day at IOA!

FWIW, I totally think WWOHP is worth the price of admission alone... and we didn't even do the thrill rides in it! I'll have some more info, coming up that may help sway your decision, too.

$30 Stick?!! That is genius! But you KNOW I'm totally buying one whenever I get myself to that place!

Of course! I may or may not want one myself.

The thought of not having to stress about finding a table with a tray full of food is a wonderful thing. I'd love to see that in action!

It was so, so nice!

Just read your latest with Mads. We're head over heels and can't wait for the 11-ish months to pass!!!

Ahem. Using the Fuzzy Calendar, we don't count Jan. because we're in it. And we don't count Dec. because that's the month of the trip. And Nov. has a bunch of days off from work and school, so no point in counting it, either. So, really, it's only 9 months!

So we read about the $30 stick and Mads looks at me as says, "Bummer, Mom. You're going to have to cough up $60 for Evan and I to get our wands!"

I just love her!

How is Leo feeling about Barnstormers closure?

Um, I might have told him it was closed 6 months ago. He's been fine with it, though - he's all about Big Thunder and Splash these days!

Ok, I have to admit from all of the descriptions of butter beer I too was thinking it was going to be thick... also for some reason I thought it was going to be warm.

That's funny, because as we stood there sipping it, Gramma and I both said we though it would make a fantastic warm drink on cool days!

I'm glad ds isn't at all interested in Harry Potter. I don't want to spend $30 on any stick/ You are a good mommy!

Well, Gramma actually coughed up the dough... but I think I'll buy one for myself sometime this year.

OMG V it sounds amazing, I'd better get saving as we NEED to visit there. By the time I've saved hopefully it won't be so busy

So true Jo! I think you guys would LOVE it! We may or may not have used our exceedingly-bad fake Brit accents whilst there, too.

Kind of glad that Jimmy isn't into Potter!

Just wait!

How was it?

I'm getting to it!

Oh dear just showed my DD your son's wand and she is green. They didn't have Sirus wand when we were there in Juy and that's the one she wanted(ummm hello your 23 dear)

Never too old to want some magic, right?!

Hope you made it over to see Jurassic Park area as WWoHP is going to take it over.

No way?! Huh. I'm not sure how I feel about that... more HP would be wonderful, but ditching JP? It's pretty good, too.

Great trip so far. Your son is such a handsome young man. Can't wait to read more.

Thank you so much!

 

[PrincessV]

“The lack of humility before nature that’s being displayed here, uh… staggers me.”

I’m not generally one to remember movie quotes at opportune times (hi glennbo!), but that one kept coming to mind as we toured the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure (IOA). Only, in my mind, the quote meant something quite a bit different from what it meant in the movie.

By the time we left Potterland, the temperature had warmed up some and the drizzly mist had let up, but it was definitely too cold for a good soaking, so you won’t be hearing from me a first-hand account of the Jurassic Park River Adventure.

Boooooo. I know. Sorry, but we barely have the gumption to get soaked in the heat of summer – we’re not water rides folks, I’m afraid. And the thought of doing so in chilly weather? Nope; not gonna happen.

BUT, I can attest that there’s still some to see in Jurassic Park (JP) without doing the main attraction.

This, for instance, made me giggle…

And there are these guys in the Jurassic Park Discovery Center…

Who knows if they’re real, but they’re pretty impressive. They also had some life-size molded rubbery-plastic dinos that the kids could roam around and use mechanical gizmos to see through the dinos’ eyes and move them around a bit. That was neat.

But, what really grabbed Leo’s attention was this:

Here, a JP staff member regularly loaded “eggs” into “incubators” and guests could select an egg, slide it into a box on the left, and "x-ray" it to learn about the “baby” inside. When the "exam" was complete, the box took the “egg” back behind the scenes, where it went into another "incubator" to await “hatching.”



Just wait – there’s going to be a LOT more eye-rolling and quotation mark making from me here...


Okay, so every so often, a JP staff member would wheel up to a big display window a round table with around eight big “eggs” on it, all under heat lamps, and announce that a “birth” was about to happen.



All who were interested gathered around and watched a “baby raptor” crack open its “shell” and look out upon the crowd, making weird little “raptor” sounds.



Sorry, I have no photos of this. I was laughing too hard to hold the camera still.

It was so silly! But Leo and the other kids dug it, so I guess IOA nailed their target audience with that one. What they missed was the need for a lot more benches behind this silliness for the adults to catch a rest. It was like a mall parking lot during the holidays, as we stalked and swooped in to grab any openings on the few available benches.


After that excitement, we wandered around the Discovery Center a bit more and then went outside. There’s not much to see in there beyond “baby raptor.” It’s a huge space and it’s a shame they didn’t do more with it.

Outside, we went to see the newly reopened Meet-A-Dino. No, that’s not the real name; I just can’t remember what it was called. We waited about 20 minutes to see a “real” triceratops, who had been “brought in” to a big barn for “observation.”



Okay, I don’t get it; at Disney I’m somehow able to suspend disbelief – or at least ignore things like Little Red – in order to enjoy the unreal fabrication that’s been created for my entertainment. Not, however, at IOA. True, the triceratops was a pretty impressive audiotanimatronic – it seemed to be life-scale, looked reptilian, moved and grunted – but the whole concept there was too much. We all gathered around the beast while a staff member told us all about the tric’s eating habits, growth rate, family bonds, etc. I had a hard time with the bizarreness of this, since anything we “know” about such matters is speculation. Knowledgeable and scholarly speculation, but speculation just the same.

But I could. Not. Get. Past. The staff member stopping throughout her spiel to “console” the tric repeatedly, telling her, “Hush now Trixie, you’re okay” or “Oh, now Trixie, calm down girl, calm down”, or my favorite, “Folks, I think she’s getting hungry and her sedative is wearing off, so we’ll need to cut this presentation short.”

SWEET BLESSED INTERVENTION – YES! By all means cut this short!

As we walked out, I asked my traveling companions what they thought of “Trixie”… Leo said he “LOVED it!” and was “sure she’s real!”



Gramma just gave me a blank stare.

No one asked me, so I asked, “Doesn’t anyone want to know what I thought?” To which Gramma replied, “No need. You couldn’t wipe the smirk off your face the entire time.”



Yeah, I was visibly unimpressed. But, I came away with a whole new appreciation for the Magic the Disney Imagineers are able to conjure; never before had I realized how hard it is to play make-believe in such a way as to completely engage the audience and get them to thoroughly suspend disbelief. And also to keep them from smirking.




Our next plan of attack was to ride Spiderman. Yay!

(hucifer, look away…)

Boo! We got there and found a two-hour wait.


Truth be told, I was ready to suck it up and wait the two hours so that Leo could get his ride on, but – get this… he said “No!” We had a little pow-wow and all agreed that we were exhausted. Our feet and legs were hurting and we just had no more energy left in us. Maybe it was the Bataan Death March to get to Potterland that morning, or maybe it was the hike from Steerage to the IOA gate, or maybe IOA is just a really, really big place. Whatever the reason, we’d had enough standing and walking and just could not do more than make our ways back to the car.

Leo and I, we can go back with our passes and see the rest some other time. Gramma, she said she’s good – no desire to go back. Ever.


As we marched back to Steerage, we took advantage of every conveyer belt and escalator to stop walking, which was kind of nice. Disney should look into that technology, methinks.


We enjoyed another relaxed night at the condo, eating leftovers from the previous night’s dinner and the previous day’s lunch at Tutto (heck yeah, we brought the leftovers with us!), watching a movie and… doing laundry! One of my favorite vacation activities. Laundry took a lot longer at the rental condo (more on that to come ), but it was still pleasing to fold warm, clean clothes without having umpteen other pressing matters to handle.

Oh, and we spent a little time explaining, AGAIN, to Leo about extinction and that no, "Trixie" was most assuredly not real.




All in all, we had a really, really nice time at IOA. We’ll definitely go back to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and I’m sure we’ll check out the rest of IO and Universal Studios over the coming year. Will I renew our annual passes next year? The jury’s out on that one, but I tend to doubt it.

A great part of what I enjoy about Walt Disney World is the physical and mental relaxation I experience in its parks. Part of that, I’m sure, is attributable to being a frequent visitor – there are few surprises for me anymore, and I always enjoy things more when I know what to expect. But I think WDW also works hard to make that sort of ambiance, too, whereas US/IOA works hard to do the opposite.

I never understood, in the past, why people tended to pit the two resorts against each other. Living in FL, you often hear that people are either “Disney people” or Universal people”. I never understood why one would need to choose. I think I get it now. It’s not really an opinion as to which is better, but a realization that a certain theme park resort “fits” better. We can still partake of the other resort and enjoy what it has to offer, but we’ll always know where “Home” is.

Next: Our coldest mornings are always at the Magic Kingdom…