Day 7: The Day of Holding Loose Items - PART 1
We weren't sure how long the walk would be from our hotel room at Loews Royal Pacific to Universal Studios (though we knew it was closer to Islands of Adventure,) and with it being Christmas Eve we weren't sure how crazy the crowds would be...so we got up early...like 5:50am. Making early entry was important to me because N and I are both serious Harry Potter fans, and the Diagon Alley section of the park would be new to me, while both HP sections would be new to him. So we got ready quickly, munched on leftover Erin McKenna's snacks and bananas for First Breakfast, and hit the trail! I liked the way they had security set up on the walking trails so we didn't have to do any of that bag-check craziness when we got to the park.
Side note: we travel with a bookbag at Disney because I'm such a difficult traveler with my health, I take photos with multiple lenses, and because I like to be prepared. (I should have been a boy scout.) But I didn't want to deal with lockers on rides, so knowing we could always walk to the hotel if we needed anything, we packed MUCH lighter at Universal. Nathan threw some water bottles in his ginormous shorts pockets, and I wore a new water-resistant fanny pack (bum bag, waist pack, etc.) courtesy of
Amazon, with the essentials. It worked SO well! I may even adopt this approach a few days of our Disneymoon.
We got to the gates with loads of time to spare. I was sure I wrote down how long it took to walk, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. I'd guess that walking at a reasonably brisk pace it was 10 mins max to IOA and 15 to US. We had to stand and wait at the gates for probably 20 minutes or so, and there were surprisingly few people compared to my expectations, even when the gates opened at 7:00. We followed the others heading straight to Diagon Alley, though slowed slightly by the fact that N's blisters coupled with a sore ankle were really starting to bother him. I kept asking him if he wanted me to slow down, as I'd giddily sprint ahead. I'm a terrible person.
When we finally arrived, I was so amazed! I couldn't stop staring at things as we were ushered the long way around to Escape from Gringotts. That said, I think I was slightly less overwhelmed than I expected to be because I had read so many reviews about how the theming was more amazing than people could have imagined and how it was much better than Hogsmeade. I thought Diagon Alley was really impressive, and as a big HP fan I was in heaven, but I didn't find it all that much more amazing than Hogsmeade. I guess I also just really like Hogsmeade.
So we did Escape from Gringotts, and I was having a fit over the details in the queue line! I probably should not have gone on this ride since it put a little more pressure on my brain than I wanted, but I knew I had to ride it once. (I rode everything in the Hogsmeade side before diagnosis and didn't want to leave any stone unturned.) I came off happy, shaken up, and a little dizzy...and N? This was his first Universal ride experience...and I saw the look in his eyes. That day we both learned something new about him. He LOVES the simulator/3-D/combo rides that Universal is so famous for. It would be a running theme for the rest of the trip.
We popped into Ollivanders next, knowing it would be less busy than on the Hogsmeade side. Boy, were we right! We waited 6 or 7 minutes for others to join the line so they could start a new show, and when nobody did, we ended up getting our own private show! Just a little more Engagement trip magic (and we thought the magic only came from the Mouse!) I wasn't planning to buy a wand since I have one already (though I figured N should)...but when they did a private show for us and gave us both wands with "twin cores" I was sold. Oh well. Bubye to my 50 bucks.
We popped into the shops and took a few photos, tried to cast spells with the interactive wands without much luck, and then it was time to take the Hogwarts Express over to the other side to get N on the Hogsmeade rides before regular entry guests arrived. The train was pretty amazing. (though the queue line is SO long, and with no way to really shorten it for early entry guests! Tons of walking.) I felt like we were really transported into the books with all these new details.
Once we arrived in Hogsmeade, it was time for another big first...
...N's first real and true roller coaster! (He had missed out on RnR last time we did HS at Disney.) I had tried to strategically pick a coaster for his first that would test if he liked them and give him a taste of going upside down, without being too intense and scaring him off if he hated it. I knew how he felt about this first coaster would set the tone and the plan for the rest of the day. I settled on Dragon Challenge, which I, a wimp, had once ridden and survived, myself (before the brain thing. #brainprobs) While he nervously went off to get in line, I thought I'd surprise him by ordering butterbeer and pumpkin juice, and then I waited for him. ...Apparently I miscalculated. I thought I'd planned it perfectly, but I forgot one minor detail: Dragon Challenge has the overhead track where your feet dangle. Turns out he hated that part! He wasn't sure how he felt about coasters now, and I was re-thinking my strategy for the rest of his riding.
We both enjoyed our drinks in the ambience, and then I sent N on Forbidden Journey. I knew I couldn't handle this one now myself, but after asking a team member at the queue she put us both in the accommodations line so we could go through the castle together and then I could just wait for N to come off the ride itself. Not sure how often they actually let people do this, but it worked perfectly for us, so I'd always ask if you need that accommodation. N loved Forbidden Journey, and it ended up being one of his favourite rides at Universal.
Then we popped onto the little Hippogriff coaster, which I could ride! Yay! I screamed the whole time, because I'm a scardey cat, and because we brain surgery folks have to make our fun somewhere! Then we took the train back to the other side because we wanted to experience both rides, and because it was time for Second Breakfast!
We ate breakfast (again) at Leaky Cauldron because I'd heard good things about their gluten free pancakes. (Being Canadian, I'd even packed my own tiny bottle of pure maple syrup to put on them.) If you're gluten free, don't be fooled. N described them as eating cardboard mixed with sticky tack. They weren't THAT bad, but they definitely weren't great. It's great that they have an allergy option though.