June 16, 2024
After spending the night at a nearby Hampton, Jeff and I decided to take our first day of vacation and explore Universal! To be honest, I was a bit wary of Universal. For as much as I love travel, I equally hate thrill rides, and most of the rides at Universal fit my “avoid” criteria. Nevertheless, I still wanted to explore this park since I had never been there, and Jeff was very excited to see it also. I was also interested to see how it compared to Disney, since I had been there many times growing up. We approached this day in a much more relaxed way than many other park goers. We were there to explore the park rather than ride every single thing we could get on, so many parts of this reflection are focused more on the experience than rides themselves.
We parked the car and headed toward the entrance. The entrance was much different than my past experience at Disney. There were stores and picture opportunities before you had even bought your ticket. It very much felt like you were in the park before you had actually entered the park.
The first area we explored was the Dr. Seuss area. There were many colorful sections to explore, and it was great for small children. We started with the tame 8mph Dr. Seuss trolley. It was a 30 minute wait and I think the repetitive music and Dr. Seuss poetry drove Jeffrey crazy. I enjoyed it though! (It was here I noticed a difference between Universal and Disney; Disney is extremely creative in hiding speakers, supporting beams, and other structural elements. Universal, not so much. You could see many of the structures supporting the rides as you waited in line.)
We then went to Hogsmeade (part of Harry Potter World) and tried a couple of the spells using our Harry Potter wands. I used Serfina’s pink jeweled wand and Jeffrey used the classic Harry Potter wand. There was a fire-breathing dragon on top of a building in Hogsmeade which was really cool! We explored HoneyDukes (the candy store) and Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes Joke Shop before going on our next ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This was a ride I was quite nervous for. I had researched the rides beforehand, and I knew this one would be outside of my comfort zone. (This website was a HUGE help in calming my fears and helping me to know what to expect.) I had read that it was a favorite among many park goers though, and Jeffrey really wanted to ride it, so I nervously went for it.
The waiting area was cool, with some cameos from major characters from the Harry Potter movies, and the waiting line was air conditioned. When we finally got to the entrance of the ride, we sat on a 4-person bench with bucket seats and put the overhead safety bar over our heads. As soon as the ride started, the seat tilted us backwards and the simulation part of the ride began. To be honest, I had my eyes closed for most of this ride as the simulation was just a little too strong for my liking and the chairs did move in all directions to account for the simulation, but I was proud of myself that I got on it at all. Jeffrey did confirm that it was a pretty cool ride that encompassed many parts of the movie and that it was worth riding it.
After The Forbidden Journey ride, we made our way over to the other “land” via the Hogwarts Express. I was a bit surprised that the train ride didn’t have views of the park itself. The “windows” in the train car were screens that simulated the ride to Hogwarts like in the movie instead. It was fun, but I almost wish I had been able to see the park itself as we drove.
We then went on Jimmy Fallon’s Race Through New York. This was another simulation ride. Again, I closed my eyes. But again, I was proud of myself. Jeffrey said it was a pretty good ride.
Diagon Alley was next (another portion of Harry Potter World). We tested out more wand experiences that were cool to try but a bit tricky to get the wand to actually register with the sensor within the attraction. At one station, Jeffrey had heard of a secret spell that would make water squirt out from the top of a fountain. (The original spell is to have the frog spit out water at the fountain at the bottom.) We talked to the employee nearby, and he verified it, teaching Jeff the spell. A little while later, Jeffrey tried the spell, and water came shooting out, almost hitting a nearby family! You could hear people nearby saying, “How did he do that?!” It was so funny!
We toured a few more shops before going to Mel’s Diner for lunch. I got a buffalo chicken sandwich with a chocolate milkshake and Jeff got a bacon cheeseburger with a chocolate milkshake. While it was quite a long wait, both meals were delicious. At this point, we were both very hot and very tired. The lines had gotten to be a bit ridiculous, and neither one of us wanted to wait for a long period of time. (This was also a major difference from Disney. At Disney, a lot of the waiting is done inside an air conditioned space, so while the waiting can be long, at least you’re cool. This was DEFINITELY not the case at Universal. I also found that Disney would have little things to entertain you while you waited in line (a video, interactive screen, characters, etc.), and while Universal did have some of that, it definitely wasn’t as apparent. But then again, Universal is geared much more towards teenagers and adults, so it does make sense.)After lunch, we went on our last ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. I loved this ride. It was another simulation, but it was kid-friendly and a lot softer than some of the other simulations. It was a good way to end my time at Universal.
Before we left, we stopped back at Diagon Alley to try Butterbeer! I was presently surprised by how delicious it was! It tasted like butterscotch and had a very sweet foamy topping. It was definitely a highlight for me and was super refreshing after being in the heat all day!
Overall, we had fun at Universal. Did we take advantage of all there was to offer? Absolutely not. We went into this day very relaxed, more there for the experience and checking out the park than riding every ride we could get on. As I mentioned, Universal is definitely geared more toward teens and adults. While they did have the Dr. Seuss area, most other sections were not as kid friendly. If you love the different movies and shows the rides are inspired by at Universal and like a good thrill ride, then it would definitely be something fun to check out!
Next stop: Daytona Beach!
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