Universal Studios

Well, the boys have officially been to Universal Studios! Michael and I have wanted them to experience Universal for a while now.  The rides at Universal are geared more toward older children, so we waited until they were big enough to ride almost everything in the park.  (Finn could ride everything, but there were three (3) rides that Sam couldn't ride.) I was a bit concerned that the rides would scare them and we would spend the bulk of the trip trying to convince them to get on the rides, but that was not the case.  They rode everything in the park approximately four (4) times and loved every minute!

The boys' vacation started a day earlier than mine and Michael's.  They rode with Grandad and Gigi to Atlanta to spend the night with Lauren and Ryan. Michael and I rode up the next day in complete serenity.  We started the trip around noon on Tuesday and arrived at the hotel about midnight.  

While we were in the car, Grandad and Gigi took the boys to City Walk for dinner and ice cream. 

This was our "starting" picture.  We were sitting outside of our hotel waiting for the shuttle to take us to Universal Studios.  We didn't realize that we had to book the morning shuttle the day before, so we actually ended up Ubering over the first day.

Both parks are connected by what is called "City Walk."  It is an area with restaurants, shops and entertainment.  You don't have to buy a park ticket to go to City Walk - but you do have to walk though City Walk to access both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  On our first day, we arrived to Universal Studios a few minutes before the park officially opened, so we killed a few minutes in City Walk and took a some silly pictures. 

We decided to spend our first day at Universal Studios.  During the entire month of June, Universal Studios opened at 8:00 a.m. (one hour earlier than Islands of Adventure) so it made sense to go there first.  Plus, I haven't been to Universal Studios in fifteen (15) years, so I was itching to see how much it had changed.

Our first stop was to Diagon Alley.  I have never been so impressed in my entire life! I went to Hogsmead for my 30th Birthday and thought that it was neatest thing I had ever seen.  Now I know that Hogsmead pales in comparison to Diagon Alley. The coolest part is that there isn't an actual opening. In the London city area, there is a brick building that you meander through.  When you get to the other side you pop out in Diagon Alley.  I was so overwhelmed.  Pictures do this no justice whatsoever. 

Our first ride for the day was Escape from Gringotts.  The line was almost as incredible as the ride. You wait inside in an exact replica of Gringotts bank - complete with animatronic elves.  When you get into the back hallway, there are newspapers lying around that have moving pictures just like in the movie. The ride is half moving track and half VR.  The boys really loved this ride and rode it multiple times.  

Next we went to ride Minion Mayhem.  Again, the attention to detail in Gru's house was superb. There are two staging areas in the line.  In the second staging area, Gru started pointing out people who hadn't showed in a week - then a big spotlight came on and a live video of the individual with poor hygiene popped up on the big screen for everyone to see.  During our first time to ride, I was that person.  

This was another VR ride - and again, the boys loved it!  We rode this at least four (4) times. We opted for the Express Pass which is basically a pass that allowed us to skip most of the lines.

We also had the photo pass, so every so often we would get our picture taken.  This was my favorite picture of the trip.  Even though Islands of Adventure was great, Universal Studios was my favorite park.  I like the cityscapes and backlot feel of the place.  This picture was taken in one of my favorite spots it the park.  This was the New York section right in front of the Jimmy Fallon ride. 

After minions we watched the Shrek 3-D show.  It was fine, but not my favorite.  The boys didn't ask to ride/watch this again the whole time we were there.

Then it was time for a quick snack.  We ended up buying the refillable cups and we were very happy to learn that these cups could either be refilled with coke or icees.  While we were snacking, we happened to see the Penguins of Madagascar.  I love these guys - they are hilarious. 

Next we watched the Monster Makeup Show.  It is a really entertaining and funny stage show which demonstrates a few tricks of the trade.  While in the same area we rode Sam's favorite - Transformers. 

Then it was off to ride E.T.  The boy's didn't understand E.T. at all, but thought the ride was fun nonetheless.  I remember loving the E.T. ride when I was younger. It is kind of sad to see it now - it is in the back of the park - basically abandoned.  When I was a teenager the lines were so long - now, you don't even need an Express Pass in the middle of the day. Before leaving this section of the park, we rode the Woody the Woodpecker Roller Coaster.  It was pretty fun for a short kids ride. 

Next we popped over and watched Fear Factor live. Entertaining show and a nice break from the sun.

Sam watching a women drink rancid pureed food.  It was so gross.  Right after the show ended, and while we were still under cover, it started pouring - I mean sheets of rain was falling from the sky in all directions. We waited for a few minutes for the heaviest rain to pass and then braved our way to the Simpson's Ride and Men in Black Alien Attack Ride. I was so disappointed in the Simpson's Ride; not because the ride wasn't fun, but because it took the place of the Back to the Future ride, which used to be my favorite ride.  The boys really did like the Simpson Ride - especially Sam.  He asked to ride it again the second the ride ended. 

The London street entry to the Ministry of Magic. If you pick up the receiver you are given instructions on how to access the ministry. 

The Fast and Furious ride.  This ride took the place of the old Earthquake ride.  It was a pretty fun ride.  You are seated in an enormous bus with floor to ceiling screens on either side.  The ride makes you feel like you are in a high speed chase on the interstate.

I can't say enough good things about the Revenge of the Mummy ride.  It was my favorite ride!  It was Finn and Sam's least favorite ride.  It scared both of them half to death. We had to force them to ride it again.  However, after each time we rode Sam would look at me and say, "that was a decent ride mom." He was so precious.

After riding most everything in the park we decided to hitch a ride to Islands of Adventure via the Hogwarts Express.  We started at Kings Cross Station in London. Sam and Finn were disappointed that we didn't actually walk through an actual wall to reach Platform 9 3/4.









Again, the train was an exact replica.  The window was a fake and instead of seeing the sights in the park, it made it feel like you were actually traveling from London to Hogsmead.






By the time we made it Hogsmead (Islands of Adventure) it was closing in on 6:00 p.m. and we were all tired hungry.  We didn't ride any rides at Islands of Adventure, but walked through to see the sights.  We pretty much just walked from the back of the park to the exit.



Our family after a long day.



Once back at the hotel, we hopped in the van and made our way over to Five Guys.  We all ate burgers and with a full stomach enjoyed a good nights sleep.