The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Orlando, FL
Orlando, FL
Wow! Wow, wow, wow! What a day! After checking in to my hotel at around midnight and only getting to sleep at around 2am, 6/7 hours of sleep wasn't a bad effort. I missed the free breakfast call at my hotel unfortunately but made it on time to catch the shuttle from the hotel to Universal Studio Orlando Theme Park. All I can say about this place is that it is the most incredible thing I've ever seen. I've never had the luxury of spending a lot of time at theme parks, but what Universal dished up is sure going to be hard to beat! There will be about 100 photos so feel free to have a browse. The park itself is huge! It took me the better half of a day just to walk the first half (Universal's Island of Adventure) without doing many of the rides... The half I covered today included: Dr Suess' Cat in the Hat, amongst his other creations, Jurassic Park, Eighth Voyage of Sinbad, Comic Strip Lane, Cartoons including Popeye, Poseidon's Fury, and Harry Potter World (Hogsmeade), among other things. Late in the day, I also took the Hogwarts Express (I've been waiting a decade and a half for it) to the Universal Studios side of the park and quickly covered the Diagon Alley section of the park. The whole park is absolutely surreal! I took a trip through Hogwarts Castle. There are some pictures but I'll go back and do it again over he next couple of days so I can get some photos while actually on the ride. The ride follows the characters as you dodge dragons and dementors on the virtual screen in front of you, all while your seat swings and drops and vibrates. I'm not a big ride person but definitely my kinda thing. The Hogwarts Express was quite a fun ride too, albeit a lot more subdued. I don't envy any of the staff on a day like today however. Every member was dressed in longs, or wizard robes, or character costumes in a very warm 33 degree heat. I also went on the Poseidon's Fury tour which was pretty entertaining; embarking on an Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider sort of expedition. Again, see photos. I had lunch at the Three Broomsticks - Hogsmeade's number one cafe restaurant. Fish and chips were on the menu and being the Kiwi that I am, I could resist the opportunity to show off my accent. The food was pretty good, albeit a little expensive for the portion size. But you pay for novelty right? I also had my first taste of Butterbeer; the glorified drink of JK Rowling's creation in the Harry Potter series. The drink itself was actually quite nice, although a little sweet for me after about half a glass. I much preferred its series rival, Pumpkin Juice, which I have tried in the past and couldn't stand... The park credits several restaurants, including the Hard Rock Cafe Orlando. Tomorrow I'll give the Leaky Cauldron a shot most probably :-) Among the shops, there is far too many memorabilia and souvenirs to buy that if I were here at the end of my trip, I'd ensure I was broke before heading home. From Harry Potter sweets to shirts and robes, to chess sets and board games, to mugs and wands; there are hundreds of things to buy. Eeylop's Owl Emporium, Ollivander's Wand Store, Weasley's Wizard Weezes, and Flourish and Blotts to name a few. Tomorrow I'll cover the second half of the park, plus a few things I already covered today. Plenty more to do - a few Harry Potter rides, Transformers, The Simpsons, Terminator, Shrek and The Mummy to name a few.