Jumping the Pond

[Sleepy90]

Yay for more pictures. I wouldn't have been a very happy camper if I had been awoken at 3:30 am by a truck delivering food I hope that didn't happen every morning of your trip

Yep Amy every single morning that we were there between 3.30am and 4am, by about day four we were used to it and just ignored the noise.

[Amy]

Yay for more pictures. I wouldn't have been a very happy camper if I had been awoken at 3:30 am by a truck delivering food I hope that didn't happen every morning of your trip

Yep Amy every single morning that we were there between 3.30am and 4am, by about day four we were used to it and just ignored the noise.

I don't know that I could have blocked that out And since you normally have to pay more for a preferred room...they didn't think that one out very well did they?

[Soarin08]

Keep the report coming Sleepy! Now I'm bummed as I was probably there at some point during your 2 week trip and didn't get to meet up with y'all!

If I had known you were going to be down then we would have totally been on for a meet up. Maybe next year.

Yes Soarin this is the trip we met you on more to come on that later, I definately hope you are still around when we come next year. Joe is going to need someone to ride TOT with.

Definitely will be here but Joe is out of luck on that one... my vertigo tells me it won't happen.

[Sleepy90]

Up with the larks, oh wait you don't have them. Hmmm up with the glossy starlings just doesn't have the same ring to it never mind early rise we have to be at Universal for 7.30am to meet the rep from Virgin Holidays.
Last night before we turned in we went down and got some fruit cups thinking that we would have these for breakfast when we reached Universal and then we would wander into the park.
Somehow we got turned around getting to the car park and we had to scurry down to the front gates to meet the rep. She is supposed to be giving us some kind of free gift. (slightly worried about this) Hooray its two pins one of Hogwarts badge and the other is Griffindor crest they can go with my pin collection. Then its over to the ticket booth to collect the tickets and we arrive at the gates just as they are opening them and there is not many people about.
We know roughly where in the park it is situated and head in that direction, we catch a glimpse pf Hogwarts from the front area this looks good, following the path through the Lost Continent turn the corner and there it is Hogsmead.



After a few pictures we wander through the street to the other end thinking that we will do the ride in the castle first. I really am not looking forward to this as I do not like coasters, when we get to the front of the castle we discover it is a simulator I still am not too keen as it says it is energetic. Now Joe is not to happy either he is not good on simulators but we are going to give it a go.
You have to put your baggage in a locker and it says 30mins free I don't know if this rises with wait times but if not this could be expensive in the summer. Bags in locker we wander through the queue not that there is one we walk straight on but we did stop a little along the way to watch the pictures that move and talk. Then when we get to the front a guy is standing saying to his wife it will be ok its only a simulator they are easy.
We have done it and are standing outside, would I ride it again maybe, would Joe probably not he is feeling a little queasy. We decide to sit on the bench and have our fruit cups. I spot the guy who was having a go at his wife inside, she looks fine he on the other hand has gone rather green and looks as if he is about to lose his breakfast. Joe is into camera mode by this time and we spend a while just taking pictures.








We slowly walk to the front of the castle again and grab a tankard of Butterbeer. This is superb takes like cream soda with a frothy top which tastes creamy. We wander back into the street to have a look at the stores and Joe nips into the bathroom to clean out the tankard. He returns informing me that Myrtle is in there, not thinking straight I think that's odd what is a woman doing in the mens bathroom and then it clicks. From here until the end of the trip whenever we went to a bathroom we just said "I'm going to visit Myrtle"
Wandering back through we get into line for the Griffin ride its only a small coaster I can handle this, up we go and just as we reach the crest Joe takes this picture of Hagrids cottage which I think you can only see from the ride and one of the castle from the air.





Off we go round the rest of the park, the Jurassic park ride is closed for refrub so we wander on through. Joe would like to go on the triceratops ride but we don't have any children so that is out.
On reaching the area that we came in to the park we think we will have an early lunch and so leave the park and head towards Hard Rock Cafe, every time we come to Universal which is not very often we have a meal here. The atmosphere is as good as always and the food is fantasic. Joe finally gets a picture of that car.



Suitably nourished (in fact stuffed) we head back into the park and back to Harry Potter for some shopping. It takes a while to have a good look round the shops. In the shop that sells the wands I have been watching people with the wands while Joe has been checking things out and have noticed that the one that is flying of the shelves is Luna's, it seemed rather odd that it would not be Harry's or the elder wand but on closer inspection Luna's is a very classic styled wand and is probably the one I would have gone for as well. Joe purchased a tie not griffindor but ravenscroft.

On leaving the park we head for Epcot for the late afternoon and early evening and Joe gets to use the new lens on the camera again the picture of china is not done justice with the reduction for the site you should see it on a big screen.





We leave Epcot and head back to the hotel were we decide to wander over to Riverside for dinner, on the way back Joe gets this picture.

[Amy]

Beautiful pics once again - the night shots are simply stunning!
So what else can you tell us about the Harry Potter ride? I've heard some say it's not too bad, and some say it's kinda rough. We like Hard Rock as well. It's a little loud for me (starting to show my age I guess) but I really like the BBQ pork sandwich. I just found out we are getting a Hard Rock Cafe of our very own in the town about 45 minutes from us. Looking forward to trying that out, although I'm surprised they are building here. New Buffalo Michigan is pretty tiny!!
Ok then, bring on some more Disney!!

[Joe90]

Joe purchased a tie not griffindor but ravenscroft.

I'm sure Dr Ravenscroft would be proud.

However it's Ravenclaw.



The ride is vomit inducing Amy. It isn't to rough, but it isn't smooth either. I would do the line again then skip the ride. The line was the highlight. Dare I say it possibly one of the best waiting areas in Orlando In the summer the line is going to be HOURS long.

[Amy]

Joe purchased a tie not griffindor but ravenscroft.

I'm sure Dr Ravenscroft would be proud.

However it's Ravenclaw.



The ride is vomit inducing Amy. It isn't to rough, but it isn't smooth either. I would do the line again then skip the ride. The line was the highlight. Dare I say it possibly one of the best waiting areas in Orlando In the summer the line is going to be HOURS long.

Would you say it is rougher than Dinosaur at AK? I think that attraction can throw you around quite a bit...

[Sleepy90]

Would you say it is rougher than Dinosaur at AK? I think that attraction can throw you around quite a bit...

Oh yes Amy it is a lot rougher than Dinosaur and for some reason you seem to spend a lot of time on your back. The scenes seem to be a little disjointed it does not flow as well as it should.

Now we are headed back to Disney.

[Soarin08]

Joe purchased a tie not griffindor but ravenscroft.

I'm sure Dr Ravenscroft would be proud.

However it's Ravenclaw.



The ride is vomit inducing Amy. It isn't to rough, but it isn't smooth either. I would do the line again then skip the ride. The line was the highlight. Dare I say it possibly one of the best waiting areas in Orlando In the summer the line is going to be HOURS long.

Hence why I will never be able to ride it, thanks to my vertigo.

[Amy]

Would you say it is rougher than Dinosaur at AK? I think that attraction can throw you around quite a bit...

Oh yes Amy it is a lot rougher than Dinosaur and for some reason you seem to spend a lot of time on your back. The scenes seem to be a little disjointed it does not flow as well as it should.

Now we are headed back to Disney.

Thanks for the info. I doubt I will go to USO unless I move to Florida anyhow...I'm not all that interested in Harry Potter either, but the Kuka arm ride technology interests me.
What movie is the pink cadillac from?

[Joe90]

Thanks for the info. I doubt I will go to USO unless I move to Florida anyhow...I'm not all that interested in Harry Potter either, but the Kuka arm ride technology interests me.
What movie is the pink cadillac from?

Hard Rock Cafe is all about the music The pink Cadillac belonged to Elvis.
You quickly lose interest in the kuka arm thingy when it keeps turning you upside down rolling you on your front and tipping you on your back. It adds a whole new meaning to "arm wrestling".

Hence why I will never be able to ride it, thanks to my vertigo.

No real heights involved just pretend video ones. A bit like Soarin' but not as high of the ground and much more jiggley. And soarin' doesn't tip you on your front or back, or make you feel queasy. You could ride it once (like me) just to say you did it

I also found the video sequences very blurry when the action started to speed up.
I loved the whole Harry Potter experience.

Everything.

Except the ride .

[Soarin08]

Hence why I will never be able to ride it, thanks to my vertigo.

No real heights involved just pretend video ones. A bit like Soarin' but not as high of the ground and much more jiggley. And soarin' doesn't tip you on your front or back, or make you feel queasy. You could ride it once (like me) just to say you did it

It wouldn't end well, trust me. I can't even ride the Tower of Terror anymore, it's so bad with me.

[MmeLeota]

Yay! A trip report!!!
AMAZING pictures so far Joe!!!!!

I really want to check out the Harry Potter area because I read all the books and thoroughly enjoyed them, but I'm not so sure about that ride. I can barely handle R'n'RC, so I don't forsee myself going on that particular attraction, but with the information about the queue, perhaps I'd give that a go.
The detail I've seen in the pictures from the area are so spot on! Plus I haven't heard a bad review of the butterbeer.

Looking forward to more of the trip!!!!

[Joe90]

I haven't heard a bad review of the butterbeer.

No bad reviews possible. There is a fortune to be made selling that stuff and Universal are making it.
One possible bad point. Price. It is way more expensive than real beer.

Now when can we have it in cans from the grocery store?
(Watch out CokaCola H. Potter could magic away a large chunk of your market)

[mindflipper]

What makes up "butterbeer" at WWoHP?