I took a long weekend to go down to Florida to celebrate my friends getting married. I brought a friend with me and she suggested we add Universal Studios to the weekend and of course, I can't pass that up. We knew it would be a busy weekend but always worth it for Harry Potter and weddings.
We flew down on Thursday morning and back on Saturday night with the wedding on Friday night. We had a 3 day ticket to Universal (one day was free) so we were gonna play it by ear on Saturday and either return to Universal or enjoy the beach. Somehow Holly and I always pack our time during vacations so this fit in well.
We had no problem getting to Orlando airport but I would not recommend Firefly for a rental car. The guy was super rude and was going to charge us $230 for picking up the car 25 minutes early. So we spent 25 minutes relaxing in the Orlando airport. Also tip 2 for Orlando, bring your EZ-Pass so you don't need to pay cash at the tolls (we barely had enough cash). We checked into the Fairfield Hotel near Universal (which we thought was very nice) and walked 15 minutes to the park.
Holly was beyond excited to see Harry Potter world and she was not disappointed. It was so much fun seeing her get so much enjoyment in Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. We started in Islands of Adventure and hit Jurassic Park on the way to Hogwarts. Then came the time for her to be amazed. I give Universal so much credit for the detailed work they put into these parks. Now the only problem with Universal is that the rides are not great for people with motion sickness. I have started to have some issues with rides (simulator rides are horrible for me) and Holly has it much worse. I had warned her that the Hogwarts ride would be rough for her but she had to try it. Holly did struggle with it a bit, but luckily she was fine when she closed her eyes. I still love that ride and the technology it incorporates. It is basically a simulator on a rail that incorporates screens to progress your adventure with Harry and then some real structures (spiders, dementors, etc). The detail in the line through the caste makes it worthwhile.
We explored Hogsmeade a bit, grabbed lunch, and explored more while letting our bodies settle before hitting Dragon Challenge (formerly Dueling Dragons). I know this ride normally makes me feel a little off, but I keep trying to fight that. I was amazed the Universal has gotten very strict on what is allowed on roller coasters, which is nothing! They have lockers for you to check everything (phones, keys, wallet, etc). I had a small running band with only my phone and secured to my body and zipped in and they didn't allow it. They actually had metal detectors to ensure you had nothing on you. It was incredible but makes me wonder what happened in the last year to make them take those drastic measures. It was a good ride, but we really wanted to get to Diagon Alley. We took the Hogwarts Express to Kings Cross London and Diagon Alley. Universal was genius on putting the train to connect the two parks (requiring you to buy a more expensive ticket). The train is a ride and fun and the easy way to get between Harry Potter parts.
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| Hogwarts! |
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| Butterbeer and Hogwarts Express...what can be better? |
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| Such incredible details in Hogsmeade |
I cannot express how amazing Diagon Alley is. The details are incredible and colorful and fun. There is only one ride in this area (Escape from Gringotts) but the rest is fun to explore. Gringotts again has some fun detail while waiting in line. It is similar in concept to Hogwarts but this incorporates 3D and has a little more roller coaster to it. We were able to ride this twice. We also explored the shops and after 6 trips to review wands, Holly finally decided on the Bellatrix wand. She got the interactive one so we spent time doing some spells throughout Diagon Alley. She had her Butterbeer and I found a cider. Oh yeah, we also enjoyed the ice cream. I finally made her leave Harry Potter to hit a few other rides (Men in Black, ET) and then we returned for a little more exploration. We finished the day watching their night show (100 years of film...cool but we were on the wrong side of the screen and watched the first half backwards) and had a quick dinner before catching the shuttle home.
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| Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade to Kings Cross |
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| The bus actually has a discussion with you. Loved it |
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| Yeah we were ready to fly |
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| Checked out the bank store |
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| And Olivander's wand store |
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| Then it was time to play with the wand |
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| So much fun with the wands |
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| So much fun to watch |
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| And cider and Butterbeer |
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| Making it rain |
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| Luminous |
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| So pretty at night |
Friday was a long day. We were at Universal Studios at 9 and had til noon to have fun. We hit Shrek, Transformers, Rockit Roller Coaster, and the Mummy. Finally we returned to Diagon Alley to ride Gringotts one more time and take the Hogwarts Express the other direction. This gave us just enough time to grab one more Butterbeer and walk back to the hotel. I am still impressed by Universal but I did realize something on this trip. All of the rides added in the last few years are very similar with a different story. Both Harry Potter rides, Spiderman, and Transformers are all simulator type rides with 3D. They seem to have similar movements and technology. It is sad to think that Universal can't come up with any different ideas. They have a new Jimmy Fallon ride coming next year that I fear will be the same, but we will have to wait and see.
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| The transformer actually moves and talks |
We hit everything we wanted at Universal so we said goodbye and took off for Clearwater Beach. We had just enough time to drive there and get ready for the wedding. We were excited to get dressed up and have a fun night. Ryan and Amanda are both good friends. Ryan and I joined Team Z around the same time and trained together for our first marathon and Ironman and have been good friends for years. I have gotten to know Amanda over the last few years and their adorable dog Maddie (who I am currently watching). They had a beautiful ceremony on the beach that ended perfectly before the rain. The reception was fun and I enjoyed hanging out with Katie and Fred. We wore down by 11 so we went home to get some rest before the beach day.
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| We clean up nice. |
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| My first beach wedding was so much fun |
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| Perfect! |
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| Mr and Mrs Ryan Vear! |
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| It isn't my greatest picture but captured the joyful mood |
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| Ended the night with "Cake by the Ocean" |
Clearwater Beach was packed on Saturday. It didn't stop us from enjoying the beach and I even got some volleyball in. I definitely need to stop trying to get a perfect pass to a setter when playing on the beach since most don't know what I am doing and it loses points. I am happy to report that we did win at least. I definitely got a horrible sun burn (oops). I forgot how easily I burn so at least I learned my lesson early in the year.
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| Love these ladies |
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| And Kaenan was adorable enjoying the beach and the water |
Overall, it was a wonderful, busy weekend in Florida. Next time I return to Orlando though, I will be hitting Disney. It was hard to drive by without stopping.
