Back to the Famous Land: Orlando

Despite having visited Orlando only three years ago, The Wife and I felt that it was time to return.  The Kids were itching to visit Disney World because they were too young to remember our previous trip in 2008.  And The Wife was eager to see Diagon Alley which had yet to open when we visited Universal Studios in 2013.  Since The Kids had the entire week off for spring break, we decided to allot for three days at Universal Studios and five at Disney World.

After our flight on Southwest Airlines arrived at noon, we rented a Hyundai Sonata from Alamo Car Rental.  Unlike our previous visits to Orlando, we wanted the flexibility to leave the confines of the Disney and Universal parks.  On our way to our hotel, we made a pit stop for lunch at Shake Shack.  Despite this NYC burger chain's fast rise and glowing reviews, we had never visited one of their fast-casual restaurants.  This was mainly because they have yet to make their way to our lowly, backwoods corner of Tennessee.  Heck, we didn't get our first Five Guys Burgers until about six years ago.  After perusing the relatively high prices at Shake Shack, I question how successful it would be in our less-affluent city.  At least we weren't visiting their Dubai location.

Although the burgers and shakes were tasty, they did set us back over $50.

During our visit to Universal Studios, it was a no-brainer to stay at one of their affiliated properties to gain the benefit of the free Express Passes.  We chose the Loews Royal Pacific Resort again because of its walking distance to the parks and its reasonable price.  Parking for our rental car was an additional $20 per day.

We weren't going to waste a ticket to the parks for just a few hours that afternoon, so we jumped back in the car and drove to the Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets.  The Wife was thrilled to spend a couple of hours shopping, while The Kids were absolutely miserable. 

Later that evening, we stopped off at a Publix supermarket for drinks and breakfast items.  We were in the mood for some Peruvian fare, so we went to Pio Pio Restaurant, located at a strip mall near our hotel, for dinner.  It was just like being back in Peru sans the pan flute bands and the food poisoning. 

Chicha morada, a sweet drink made from purple corn and spices.

Ceviche Peruano mixto.

Chicken stew with rice and corn cakes.

Grilled chicken breast with rice and fried sweet plantains.

Fried snapper with fried green plantains and yuca.

Corvina filet with steamed vegetables.

*****

Saturday, March 5, 2016

We were up early to make it to the entrance of Universal Studios by 8 AM.  Although the park's gates normally open at 9 AM, guests staying at Universal-affiliated properties are allowed inside an hour earlier.  Many of the rides weren't operating yet, but the Harry Potter-themed attractions were in full-swing. We followed the stream of visitors to Diagon Alley.  

Staying true to Harry Potter lore, the entrance to Universal's Diagon Alley is through
a brick wall located behind the Leaky Cauldron restaurant (located right behind). 

The folks who designed this area of the theme park did a great job recreating this supernatural take-off on a London neighborhood.  The Wife assured me that many of the shops and stalls were straight from the Harry Potter books.

There is really only one ride in Diagon Alley--Escape From Gringotts.  It's a retelling (with artistic license) of the smash and grab antics of the outlaw Harry Potter and his co-conspirators.

Only a fool would try to steal from the safest bank in the world!

Instead of installing security cameras, motion-sensitive devices, laser tripwires, and time-sensitive locks, Gringotts Bank merely uses a dragon to guard the riches inside.  Periodically, a low grumbling from the creature will turn into a spewing fireball.

Express passes are not valid at the Escape from Gringotts ride.  Fortunately, there was barely a line this early in the morning.  Our wait time was less than 10 minutes.  As we would find out over the next two days, my backpack and most of our valuables would need to be stored in nearby lockers which are free for an hour.

We stood in the lobby of the bank while we waited to board the surprisingly fast elevator that would take us nine miles underground deep into the vaults of the bank.  Hard-working goblins arduously worked at their desks, seemingly oblivious to the raucous crowd of muggles around them.

There was some reading material nearby that could have helped pass the time.  Inexplicably, it was just out of reach beyond a barrier of velvet ropes.  

As we got closer and closer to the start of the ride, The Girl started acting increasingly antsy.  She was scared that the ride would be too scary--a theme that would be repeated countless times over the next few days.  Fortunately, she agreed to go on the ride and actually enjoyed it.  In my opinion, the Escape from Gringrotts ride was a bit tame and the audio was unintelligible.  

We lingered around Diagon Alley for a few minutes longer, before heading back towards the park's entrance.  

Sadly, calling 911 on the Diagon Alley pay 
phone does NOT summon an auror.

The body-less driver of the Knights Bus will converse with visitors, he just won't take them anywhere.

The Wife mentioned that this row of houses on Grimmauld Place was noteworthy.

Some creepy-looking bald guy kept peeking
through the curtains at the number 12 address.

We met up with Ginger Mom and Ginger Girl, one of The Girl's friends from school.  It's amazing how much happier a child can act when they are with their friends instead of just with their family.  I was hopeful that The Girl would act more courageous around one of her friends and try some of the more thrilling rides.  Nope.  It was like a synergy of cowardice.  Both girls fed into each other's fears.  The Girl was even more skittish about trying the bigger rides.

We sat through the obligatory shows and attractions like Minions, Shrek, Transformers, etc.  I did convince The Boy to try the Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster with me.  Considering that he easily gets motion-sickness, I was proud that he was giving it a shot.  As our ride slowly started, I glanced over at The Boy who was grimacing and moaning "What have I got myself into!"  I do admit having some trepidation myself as the ride starts off with a nearly 90 degree vertical takeoff followed by a sharp, steep drop.  I tried to do the obligatory arm raising during the ride, but I could barely lift my limbs because of the G-forces.  Overall, it was a fun, adrenaline-inducing ride.  At the end, The Boy was beaming about how thrilling it was.  I asked him if he wanted to do it again.  His response: "Nope."

Among the random fake storefronts is an homage to the Godfather movies.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the remainder of Diagon Alley.  Ginger Girl had bought one of the interactive wands.  The Kids tried it out a few times but quickly tired of the novelty as they struggled to "cast" the spells.

It took The Girl many attempts to finally...

...make it rain.

The Boy donned a Slytherin robe 
to channel his inner dark side.

One of the best snacks we tried was the Earl Grey and lavender-flavored ice cream at Diagon Alley.

We headed over to the Simpsons area for lunch at Bumblebee Man's Taco Truck.

 

Carne asada tacos with stale tortilla chips.

Korean beef tacos with stale tortilla chips.

Chicken Tacos with stale tortilla chips.

Bumblebee Man's Mucho Macho Nachos with fresh tortilla chips.

For dessert, The Kids pigged out on a Brain-Freezin' Doh-nut Sundae.  Gross and decadent simultaneously. 

Although The Simpsons jumped the shark about 20 years ago, the Springfield area is still fun.  It brings back old memories from when the show didn't suck.

Since Lisa or Maggie weren't around, we couldn't let The Girl be in the picture.

It has been a tough year for law enforcement.  Chief Wiggum hasn't made it any better.

The Kids pose with the statue of Jebediah
Springfield before he lost his head.

Up and Atom!

The Bort keychain is a nice touch.  It would be even better if they built an entire Itchy and Scratchy Land.

Of course too much fun in Springfield can lead to trouble with the law.

The girls absolutely loved The Simpsons Ride, so we ended up doing it twice.  It's no better the second time around.  We were spent by mid afternoon, so we all headed back to our hotels for a siesta.

That evening, we picked up Ginger Mom and Ginger Girl and drove to the nearby Hash House A Go Go.  It's a restaurant that originated in San Diego that now has a couple of branches throughout the country.  Their concept is farm to table with enormous portions.  We had a really good waiter who dissuaded us from ordering any appetizers as the portions would be more than ample.  He was absolutely right.  I ordered the chicken and waffles.  It was two large deep fried chicken breasts with four large waffles.  I can pack it away--but usually not that much.  Needless to say, nobody at the table finished their meals.  The portion sizes were definitely not indicative of California cuisine.

The crust on the chicken pot pie was too tough.

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

*****

Sunday, March 6, 2016

We weren't at the gates of Universal Studios quite as early as the day before, but we arrived before the regular 9 AM opening.  Since the park wasn't fully open yet, and we had nothing better to do, we decided to ride Escape from Gringotts again.  We waited an excruciating 20 minutes watching the line behind grow longer and longer.  After a while, there were whispers that the ride had broken down.  Not wanting to waste any more time, we bolted and headed to King's Cross Station to board the Hogwart's Express.

We entered through platform 9 and 3/4.  There is a little optical illusion that makes it seem like the guests are walking through the walls just like in the movies.

 


Once aboard our cabin, the "windows" gave us views of the English countryside and threatening Death Eaters.  Outside our cabin, we could see the silhouettes of the Harry Potter characters as well as some dementors.  After a few minutes, we arrived at the Hogsmeade area inside the Islands of Adventure Park.

We visited a couple of the rides that we had done a few years ago.  This time, The Girl went on the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and she liked it.  I think that it is still better than Escape from Gringotts.  I convinced The Boy to go on the Dragon Challenge rollercoaster with me.  It wasn't as fun as the Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster from the day before.  All it did was just make us a bit dizzy.

We left the Harry Potter world and went over to the Jurassic Park area.

Although they just launched the fourth movie in the franchise last year, Universal Studios hadn't added any significant attractions to the area.  The only thing we did there was ride the Jurassic Park River Adventure.  We barely got a drop of water on us.  We definitely skipped the Pteranodon Flyers--the worst ride in the park.

Ginger Mom and Ginger Girl finally caught up with us by mid morning.  Ginger Mom wanted to do the Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Bargers.  It was still pretty cool that morning so I asked her a couple of times whether she really wanted to do it now and not later when it was hot.  She said yes because it looked fun and riders don't really get THAT wet.  A person who just finished the ride walked past us and he was completely soaked with water.  Somehow, we didn't take that hint.

The Wife sat the ride out because she had more common sense than the rest of us.  We piled onto an awaiting raft and were off.  A couple who was already aboard cautioned us to place our wallets and phones in a covered area in the center of the raft.  That would prove to be very wise advice.  Within seconds, we were doused with sprays from the water rapids and jets of cold water from water cannons.  The deluge of freezing water was incessant.  The two girls let out a cacophony of ear-splitting screams throughout the ride.  If they weren't having so much fun, I would have been annoyed.

Those about to get drenched, I salute you.

The ride was fun and not really scary at all despite the girls' screams.  It would have been a great break from a sweltering afternoon, but it was still in the low 70's, so we were all a bit cold.  Ginger Mom and Ginger Girl were definitely not ready for this ride as they were wearing slow-drying fabrics like thick jeans.  We sucked it up and blew $5 on the People Dryer, which really didn't help much at all.

We rode a couple of more rides in the park like the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, all the while leaving our mark with wet seats.  I was truly disappointed that the Incredible Hulk Coaster was not running as it had been down for maintenance for the past several months.  Supposedly, it is the best roller coaster at Universal Studios.

We took a break for lunch, eating at the Circus McGurkus Cafe in Seuss Landing.  It was hard to fork over more than $50 on a bland pizza and spaghetti.

Afterwards, The Kids played at Seuss Landing for the next two hours.  We were all getting exhausted and hot so we decided to head back to our hotel.  We said our goodbyes to Ginger Mom and Ginger Girl as they would be exploring Disney World on their own for the next few days.

Late that evening, we headed back to the park to take the Hogwart's Express going in the other direction.  The "scenery" was different and less interesting.  The Boy wanted to ride Escape from Gringotts one last time, so The Wife went with him.  I got stuck accompanying The Girl on the Simpsons Ride again.  It is definitely no better the third time around.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by the Leaky Cauldron for dinner.  The menu consisted of standard English pub fare.  Let's face it, the English are not known for good food.  That being said, it wasn't bad for theme park fare.  At least it was better than the pizza we had at lunch.

Scotch eggs with mustard and an apple and beet chutney.

A kid-sized serving of fish and chips.

Toad in the hole (sausage baked in a Yorkshire pudding).

Fisherman's pie (salmon, shrimp, and cod baked in a potato crust).

Beef, lamb, and Guinness stew in a bread bowl.

Cranachan and a butterbeer-flavored potted cream.

As evinced by her actions, The Girl really liked the cranachan.

We repeated a few more rides at the park.  At this point, we felt that we had really seen everything that Universal Studios had to offer.  There was no need for us to go back for a third day tomorrow.  On the way out, we spied a Sanrio store that had just opened at the park.  To The Wife's dismay, there was no Universal Studios-specific Hello Kitty paraphernalia.  We did enjoy their take on these classic movie posters.

Overall, we enjoyed our two days back at Universal Studios Orlando.  Diagon Alley added some newer, interesting attractions for Potterheads, but it wasn't worth coming just for that.  Our experience at the parks was much more enjoyable this time around as we actually got to do some of the more thrilling rides now that The Kids were older.  In the next couple of days, we would see how well Universal Studios stacked up against Disney World.