trips + treats: Universal Studios Orlando

We had to treat ourselves to a little fun once we moved to Florida. So many attractions are close to us--but we picked Universal Studios--mainly because the new Harry Potter Park just opened a couple weeks ago. It was awesome! But so crowded, so hot, so sticky, so frustrating. We had to wait an hour just to get into the Harry Potter section of the park. There are three rides in the Harry Potter section. It took us four hours just to ride two of them. It was nuts. 


The Dragon Challenge was a speed rollercoaster that twisted and looped and corkscrewed like crazy. When we got off, I was so dizzy I had to hold onto the side rail for a good 5 minutes before the world stopped spinning. It was dizzyingly fun! The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride was by far the best and the most crowded. It's inside Hogwarts. You first wait in line outside under hanging odd-looking plants, just like you would in Herbology class with Professor Sprout. (It was soooo hot outside. Everyone was sweating and drinking water like crazy. Scott was getting pretty cranky let's just say--mainly because of the whole locker situation. Advice: Take as little as possible with you if you're going to Universal Studios. Many rides don't let you take anything on. We had to fight for a locker for 20 minutes while 3 extremely large and foreign travel groups yadda-yadda-ed and took their sweet time and caused traffic jams wherever they went. anyways...) 

Once the line went inside, it was awesome! We walked through Dumbledore's office and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and many of the halls held tons of pictures that talked to you. It was so fun. The ride itself was like a combination of Soarin' Thru California and the Haunted Mansion, except amped up a bit. You followed Harry on a broom throughout Hogwarts and the grounds. It was so awesome and worth the wait just for the experience. 

Hogsmeade was wonderful. You felt like you were there. There were lines just to get into the shops however, and probably a 30 minute wait just to get Butterbeer. So we went to the other park for a while. No lines whatsoever. I'm convinced that everyone who came that day was smashed into the Harry Potter section. We walked onto most of the rides. My favorite was E.T. I got to ride a bike and bring E.T. back home to his planet. "E.T. phone hommmme." hehe. It was so fantastical and I felt like we were actually in a forest. Love that movie. Classic. Moving on.

We spent the rest of the day in the main park where everything was a breeze then headed back to the Adventure Park and Harry Potter. The crowds had thinned considerably but it was still crowded. We went into Honeydukes and bought a chocolate frog. Perused through Zonko's game shop.Waited in line to enter Ollivander's Wand Shop (I didnt get chosen. :( sad huh?). But never fear, there was a gift shop next to Ollivanders, where I purchased my very own wand. Seriously, I did. And I love it. I walk around my apartment saying, "Wingardeum Leviosa!" and "Accio Cookies!" My skills are improving and my pant size imploding. 

We finally got some Butterbeer which was wonderful!! (non-alcoholic people.) So refreshing. Just looking at Hoqwarts castle on the hill was awesome in itself. Maybe I'm too picky though, because I was disappointed when we reached the end and there was a big wall saying to turn around. I wanted it to go on forever. Where was Hagrid's hut? What do the houses' common rooms look like? Why wasn't Fred and George's shop there? But you can't have it all I guess. If Universal Studios was smart they'd expand the Harry Potter section into its own park. I NEED MORE!