{"id":783,"date":"2024-06-16T15:20:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-16T15:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeffreyandanna.com\/?p=783"},"modified":"2024-12-07T15:34:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T15:34:40","slug":"universal-studios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeffreyandanna.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/16\/universal-studios\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Studios ’24"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Universal Studios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 16, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cavoid\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The fire-breathing dragon in Hogsmeade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Harry Potter World<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Harry Potter and the Forbidden Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After The Forbidden Journey ride, we made our way over to the other \u201cland\u201d via the Hogwarts Express. I was a bit surprised that the train ride didn\u2019t have views of the park itself. The \u201cwindows\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We then went on Jimmy Fallon\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, \u201cHow did he do that?!\u201d It was so funny!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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