So I thought I’d at least be a little bit over the jet lag now but apparently not. It’s 5:30am and I’m awake. It is the perfect time to do my blog posts though so we’ll focus on the up sides. Yesterday was AMAZING. I can’t even get over how brilliant Diagon Alley is, but I’ll start from the very beginning even though I just want to talk about that.
Woke up around 5:30am and ran myself a bath. Decided I could get away with a fringe wash so just did that to save time (if you don’t know what a fringe wash is, it’s where you just wash your fringe. If you’re plagued with greasy hair after just one day of washing it, fringe washing is great if you don’t like to wash your hair every day!). After I was all ready I had fruit, yoghurt and boiled eggs to set me up for the day. And I was ready!
Ignore my stupid face and just focus on the fact I’m wearing a Ravenclaw shirt please.
We set off just after 8 and got to Universal Orlando at around 8:35 which was the earliest we’ve ever been I think. But we thought if we got there early, went straight to Diagon Alley, we wouldn’t have to queue very long for Escape From Gringotts.
Family moving walkway selfie (minus Nanna, she’s not allowed on the moving walkway in her mobility scooter).
I honestly couldn’t stop smiling. Although I love Disney, I just love Universal that little bit more. Up until I found my roller coaster feet, Universal Studios was my favourite park where it came to rides too (now overtaken by Busch Gardens as it’s full of awesome coasters!). Universal Studios still is my favourite park in terms of the buildings and surroundings.
After getting our Special Assistance pass for Nanna (which we didn’t use once), we headed in and by this time I was absolutely buzzing with excitement. The first ride was Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, which used to be Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast. This was our first walk-on of the day. We were waiting 5 minutes, if that. But the woman who worked at the entrance for some reason blocked off the queue at a certain section, so we were just stood there stuck not knowing what to do…
This ride is fun, and is a good update from Jimmy Neutron which was a bit outdated. It’s a 3D simulator ride where riders sit in rows of four (poor Dad was sat alone) where you go through the process of “becoming a minion”. You’re jumping about all over the place and it’s just really fun! Plus the minions are super cute too! Nanna found it hilarious, although it jolted her back a little. Even Dad was smiling so it must have been good!
After that we walked up to Hollywood Rip Ride Rock It, which we just walked onto as well.. I was so excited to ride this because last time we came it was closed because of teething problems. This was also Emma’s first “big” roller coaster, so she was really nervous! When we got on we picked our songs (I did one of the hidden songs which was Tom Petty – Runnin’ Down A Dream).
This roller coaster lifts you at a 90 degree angle. And when you watch it you think “Ah it won’t be that bad”. But jesus christ, it’s so intense! It was really fun though but probably more intense than any coaster I’ve been on. We consoled Emma in the fact that it’s more intense than The Hulk (if Emma goes on The Hulk she’ll get $40, $30 from Mum and $10 from me, she’s buzzed herself up about it for ages watching videos and I really hope she goes on it!).
Next up was Revenge Of The Mummy. I can’t even explain the lack of queue times. We didn’t even have to queue for this one either. Because of Nanna too we had to use the disabled entrance. We realised afterwards that this ride was too much for Nanna. She felt sick afterwards and me and Emma found ourselves constantly asking if she was okay. Including an instance where she started coughing and I really started to panic! Needless to say, she didn’t go on another ride all day.
Took some photos of “New York” when we got off The Mummy, including being photobombed by Dad! Also the Transformers ride wasn’t there last time we were here, and it upsets me how it ruins the look of New York (far left photo). Also see the props for Halloween Horror Night (VW beetle in the far right photo). It’s part of The Purge scare zone. I really hope we go! Emma’s said she doesn’t think she’ll be scared at HHN. So we have a $5 bet on. By the end of the night I’ll be $5 richer no doubt.
Diagon Alley was up next. Now I’ve watched endless videos of Diagon Alley, and looked at countless photos. But nothing can compare to being there and seeing it with your own eyes. Even “London” was amazing.
Walking through the wall to Diagon Alley was the most excited I’ve been in a long time! I literally could not stop smiling. It’s just so perfect, and the detail is absolutely amazing!
The only downside was the fact I was so warm by this point. It was 90 degrees and I felt so uncomfortable. I just hope that when we visit next week, I’m not too hot and can enjoy it properly! I also need to get a photo next to The Daily Prophet building – my future place of work of course!
Escape From Gringotts was the main attraction here so we headed towards that. Nanna waited outside in the shade with our bags and we headed in. The detail inside Gringotts bank is amazing too. Theme parks in Florida really do knock UK theme parks into the dust. Just the queuing area for one ride is better than a whole ride in the UK.
We were expecting a long wait for this one, but we were only waiting about 20 minutes, if that! All I have to say on this one is WOW. It is amazing. It has the coaster element of The Mummy, with the visuals of the Spiderman ride at Islands of Adventure, but no ride technology could ever match up! It’s so clever the way it switches from roller coaster to simulator.
After EFG, we had a look around Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. Emma bought an interactive wand (Ginny’s I think) and did some of the spells. Dad probably has photos of her doing spells in her cape. She’s a real wizard now!
I melted a bit more until we went to cool off in Knockturn Alley, which is equally as amazing! We had a look round Borgin and Burke’s where I got excited over Tom Riddle’s diary which they sold, only to find it was bloody $42! No way I’d pay £25 for a notebook, no matter how amazing it is.
After Diagon Alley, we headed over to the Springfield area. Now I don’t like The Simpsons, but this place is really impressive. Last time we were here, the only thing that was there was The Simpsons Ride, but they’ve extended it to be a full area. Complete with Moes Tavern, Kang & Kodo’s Twirl & Hurl (which me and Emma rode later on), a Duff Brewery bar and the Kwik-E-Mart.
Strangely, I don’t have many photos from Springfield. Only these two.
We headed into Moe’s Tavern to eat and cool down. I opted for a turkey wrap (in which the wrap part was green…not sure) and caesar salad. I needed cold food.
After eating, we headed over to Men In Black, which is a family favourite! And then back to Springfield. By this point we were all seriously flagging, so cooled down with what was probably the nicest ice cream I’ve ever eaten. We made the decision to call it a day and head back early, but we’d come back next week to ride the rides we’d missed and have another look round!
All in all, it was a successful day! When we got back I slept, ate, went in the pool and slept some more! Today we have a chill day. That’s the upsides of not doing Disney, we have time to chill and just take it easy. I think we’re going to Orlando Premium Outlets later, which means more shopping! YAY!
I’ll update again tomorrow, although I doubt it will be very interesting! Thanks for reading 🙂
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