The drive from our hotel to Universal was about 60 miles. I wanted to get there at opening to get a full days worth of fun. We timed it perfectly with work day commute and the rain making it a nearly 2 hour drive .. ugh! The parking garage was pretty bare when we arrived.
The walk from the parking, through City Walk and security added a bit of time I hadn't planned on, but at last we were inside and ready to start our soggy day!
We headed straight for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Bailee and Karsyn have seen all the movies and Kars has read a few of the books. While none of us are really "Team Gryffindor" or "Team Slytherin" material (and believe me there were a lot of those running around), it was hard to not be completely sucked in to this town. From the snow-topped buildings, cobblestone streets and Hogsmeade shop windows, you instantly feel like you have been transported right to the village.
We took a ride on Flight of the Hippogriff. Nothing too spectacular, but it was tame enough for all of us.
After that we rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This motion-based dark ride was pretty spectacular! The wait was already about 40 minutes and this was soon after the park opened. Most of the line is spent inside Hogwarts Castle so there is plenty to be entertained with to pass the time. None of us got any decent pics of this ride ... it was dark and we were trying to soak it in. We left the Wizarding World and found ourselves in Springfield. Never been a big fan of the Simpsons and the girls didn't really know anything about them, but ironically the ride through Krustyland ended up being Emmrey's favorite.
We were really looking forward to the Shrek 4-D attraction but sadly found it to be a bit of a let down.
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| waiting to enter the auditorium |
We did catch Shrek and Donkey outside afterward
At lunchtime we explored the options at City Walk. Emmrey and I decided on the Crepe Cafe and Mark and the other girls tried chicken at LUDO Bird. My savory crepe was good, but I loved their chicken and ended up choosing that for dinner when we went back for our second day.
We walked through Old Hollywood after lunch and when I saw this iconic gal with no one around her, I forced the girls into the photo op. After we walked away they asked "who was that?" WHAT! My girls aren't familiar with Lucille Ball? Time to find some I Love Lucy episodes.
We stumbled upon the Walking Dead attraction which I was forced to go through. Bailee's face is all for show. She LOVES this kind of thing! We did not take Emmrey inside. It is not recommended for kids under 13 but since it is a walking tour they can't turn anyone away. I was shocked to see all the tiny kiddos in line with their parents! I hated every minute of it but ended up going twice to prove to my teen girls I can be a good sport and to get Mark to quit pestering me to go again;)
I prefer the classic atmosphere of 1938
Found a cool phone booth calling our name
Before leaving the upper lot we became Minions on the Despicable Me ride and did the old Studio Tour I remember from my visits 20+ years ago. A few things were familiar, but a big part of it has changed substantially.
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| Mark in shock from the plane crash wreckage! |
We also caught Norman Bates in the act. I wasn't sure if the girls would think much of the tour{from what I remembered} but they have added several 3D attractions/experiences within the tour and they absolutely loved it.
After spending most of our day on the Upper Lot we went down to ride a few last rides. Transformers didn't impress any of us much. However, Revenge of the Mummy and Jurassic Park were awesome. We rode Jurassic Park (the one water ride) last and it was getting a little chilly. I was so worried we were going to get soaked and spend the rest of the night freezing. Thank goodness we came out dry!
As things were wrapping up for the day in the park, we were ready to eat again (seems like we spend half our time eating on vacation;). Since City Walk stays open later than Universal itself we grabbed a hot dog at the legendary Pink's. I'm not a huge hot dog fan, but I these were pretty dang good and sometimes a hot dog just hits the spot!
It was nice to enjoy the ambiance for a while and talk about the day's adventures.
The day started out a little soggy but cleared up and was pretty amazing!
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