The more I read about this (like on pkondz TR recently) I really think I will consider it for next trip. I would like to experience one of the Universal hotels, and having the Express pass is definitely a bonus.I did get a good rate for the one night with the EP included. This is included at the 3 deluxe resorts at Universal. It was the best rate out of the 3 for the Friday night. You get to use the EP the day you check in and the full day of check out.
I read all the books too, as did my oldest. I'm not a "super fan" but certainly enjoy the Harry Potter areas. I've been tying to get my youngest to read them since she's 12 now, but she has no interest at all.It was time to walk into DA, this entrance never gets old! The details are amazing. I am a very big HP nerd. I started to read the books years ago, to see if it was suitable for Jack, and I was hooked!! I won’t bore you all with my HP accolades, just know these are some of the best books I have ever read and I read a ton!!
There's no chance of me doing it either. The sad part is most of the ride looks like fun (to me). It's that first huge drop that I can't deal with!Andi was ready to ride Rip Ride Rocket, do you see a theme here, yes her mom is a chicken and her mom would not be caught dead on this ride, well maybe for 1 million dollars.
I always get a bit sad thinking about Escape from Gringotts. My last Universal trip was a couple months after Diagon Alley opened, so the wait times were crazy. Even getting there early in the morning, it was already at 90 minutes, but we lined up anyway. About 30 minutes in, the ride broke down. We bailed on it, and we have never had the opportunity to go back since.Now some of you know this ride has a similar track as the Mummy, except, it is less scary. The drop on here is not bad and you don’t zoom backwards so I will ride it!
It sounds like a great stay and a great idea. I really think it would fit well with my family. You hit nearly everything that we would want to do, and in the same time frame.We really enjoyed our short and sweet stay at Universal! This is enough time for us there. We enjoy the parks and have fun but riding the rides there over and over is not for us!
Unfair and unjust!We must be asking the same people No one ever answers!
Ah yes. Except for that.Except when I act like Nurse Ratchet
Maybe some day... but... I really liked where I was. So close!I would recommend Portofino Bay, it really was a nice place!
The EP’s are such a nice perk, totally worth it when you price the EP’s online, it makes the hotel cost way less!
Yes he is. I'd never seen The Office until about 6 months ago when I binge-watched it. Great show! He was great!Oh my gosh, what a goof, yes I meant Gru! I love Steve Carell such a funny guy!
It does! I saw it in a movie once! (twice...)Only if that motorbike would have flown
Because we're smart.Wow, everyone on here so far has voted for the frozen Butter Beer!
Ah!It was the extra hour for hotel guests so it wasn’t to crowded yet!
I was surprised they did the interior too!I loved the interior, I didn’t think they would have done anything inside and I loved how it looked just like the one in the movie!!
OMG!!!Hello my name is Caroline, I am a ride chicken, I will gladly hold your belongings so you can ride!
That little yellow sponge gave us many laughs over the years!
That's a very good description!MIB is a really fun ride, it is comparable to Buzz Lightyear on steroids!!
Man, those EPs were worth their weight in gold, weren't they?We used our EP and virtually walked on.
Oh! So that's where I went wrong. We didn't ride it twice.The first ride Andi beat me and the second time I beat her score
Love that movie.The first MIB movie is one of my all time favorites!
Now some of you know this ride has a similar track as the Mummy, except, it is less scary.
Too bad. They missed a great ride. But... yeah, if the kids were really little...A family behind us started asking about the ride and became freaked out and took the chicken exit!
That sounds so good!They had an impossible burger on the menu and Andi wanted this.
yummmmmAndi got the Impossible burger with cheese fries.
I know. It got almost comical the amount of time we spent in the locker rooms.US makes you use a locker for so many rides we decided to go without bags.
Nice photo!
Awwww...The poor Lorax
oooohhhh… must've been a lot of unhappy people.The new Hagrid’s ride was down and there was so many people waiting around for it.
I love this train ride, make sure to do it both ways, it is different each way.
Yuck! pkondz does not do coconut.I needed to pick up the best, thanks Ariane, macaroons I have ever tasted!
Wait... are you talking macaroons... or macarons?We checked out the delicious goodies in the display case and I found the variety of macaroons. I went with six different ones. A red velvet, Birthday cake, chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, and mango.
Yum. Want... again.We picked out 4 different donoughts. The Captain Crunch, the Vodoo doll, the little pink, and the pride one. Pictures in the next post. Ahh these were also amazing and delicious!!
Yeah, that's a pretty accurate comment for me too I think.This is enough time for us there. We enjoy the parks and have fun but riding the rides there over and over is not for us!
Got lots done.We were able to do Spider-Man x2, King Kong x1, Cat in the Hat x2, Carousel in Seuss Landing x1, Trolley x1, HPFJ x2, Hogwarts Express x1 to DA, Andi also did the Hulk x1. We missed JP ride and Raptor experience in IOA. We also did not get on Hagrid’s new ride in Islands. Overall we felt like we did the attractions we wanted to do there.
I will skip it in the future too. I was a bit more charitable to it on my TR, but... yeah...We skipped Fast&Furious, a real dud ride,
Two times! She's a thrill seeker I see.Andi also did Rip Ride Rocket coaster x2.
Just out of curiosity. How long a walk is it?We enjoyed our hotel stay at Portofino Bay, used the boat transportation several times and the walking path once.
Ah! Those are macarons.
Delicious macaroons deserve 3 pictures, I ate one before the pics, oops
Great. Now I have to wipe the drool off the keyboard.
The EP is the way to go here
SeaWorld?I will now start the portion of the TR most of you are waiting for!!
Love the costume!
We didn’t have to get up at the god forsaken 3am for this trip, yay!
I love this!Ahh Thank you! She is a Spanish Education major with Latin America studies minor. Her goal to work in some Latin America countries then at WDW!
I haven't seen it, but I'll be sure to see it before I head to UniversalIt really is done so well, have you watched the Mummy with Brandon Fraser, it is based on the first movie. The best one!
I agree! RIP Great Movie Ride
Yes! I've been there too and I was blown away by how exact it seems to be from all the pictures of Universal I've seen.I have been to Kings in London and this is spot on
We loved YC, I actually think I liked it better than GF this time, shhh don’t tell anyone lol! I do love GF and our stay was awesome. I just think the newly refurbished rooms at YC are so nice. It seemed bigger at YC because of this and we had a corner room!Can’t wait to read the rest of your report. Yacht Club is my favorite resort. We are trying GF in November for the first time Yacht and BC were full do to food festival
It really makes sense and so convenient to walk or boat over to the parks. I forgot to add the EP for 2 days even though we didn’t have a full first day, it would have cost us over $300.00 for 2 EP’s for 2 days if we didn’t stay onsite. This is literally the cost of the room!The more I read about this (like on pkondz TR recently) I really think I will consider it for next trip. I would like to experience one of the Universal hotels, and having the Express pass is definitely a bonus.
My son loved the movies, however, he never really had time for the books. He did read the last one all the way through! Now he reads all the time!read all the books too, as did my oldest. I'm not a "super fan" but certainly enjoy the Harry Potter areas. I've been tying to get my youngest to read them since she's 12 now, but she has no interest at all.
The climb and the drop are way to intense for me!!There's no chance of me doing it either. The sad part is most of the ride looks like fun (to me). It's that first huge drop that I can't deal with!
What a bummer for you, this is how we felt about Hagrid’s this trip, oh well we will do it some day!always get a bit sad thinking about Escape from Gringotts. My last Universal trip was a couple months after Diagon Alley opened, so the wait times were crazy. Even getting there early in the morning, it was already at 90 minutes, but we lined up anyway. About 30 minutes in, the ride broke down. We bailed on it, and we have never had the opportunity to go back since.
Yes! I think you should consider staying 1 night if you are going to Universal. The hotels are really nice there! Once HP world rides were added to EP it was a done deal for us!It sounds like a great stay and a great idea. I really think it would fit well with my family. You hit nearly everything that we would want to do, and in the same time frame
It really was and we did everything we wanted except for Hagrid’s! We are not much for the water rides there and really didn’t want to get soaking wet!THe rest of your day at Universal/IoA sounded very fun!
Those macaroons look delicious!
I'm glad you both enjoyed your time at the dark side!
It was a fun time! We try to do US/IOA at least 1x every other year. Staying on site for the EP is worth it!Finally here and caught up! Sounds like a great time at UO/IoA! I went once with friends a couple years ago, really enjoyed to HP area! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip and your GE preview!
I like that you can actually hold the ray gun on MIB, makes it more fun!That's a very good description!
They sure are!!Man, those EPs were worth their weight in gold, weren't they?
Yes and you probably didn't press the red button! I never beat Andi on any scoring ride so it was awesome to at least once beat her score on MIB!Oh! So that's where I went wrong. We didn't ride it twice.
My son Jack and I love this one!!Love that movie.
I couldn’t believe how little the girl was, she looked like 3 to me but must have been older?? She freaked in the elevator so the ride would have been to intense.Too bad. They missed a great ride. But... yeah, if the kids were really little...
I’m surprised how good the impossible burger tasted, it is hard to tell the difference!That sounds so good!
That is a drag at US, Andi had to give me her phone for Hulk and Rip Ride and her lanyard, so you can’t have anything on those 2.know. It got almost comical the amount of time we spent in the locker rooms.
There was a mob scene just hanging in front of it. Hogsmeade is a small area so it was way to crowded for our liking!oooohhhh… must've been a lot of unhappy people.
Stupid autocorrect won’t let me write macarons, it just keeps correcting so I gave up, These are way better then macaroons!!Wait... are you talking macaroons... or macarons?
Yes, me too!! Those donuts are so good!!Yum. Want... again.
I think 2 days at US is enough time for us! It is very fun with great rides, however not a place we need to do things over and over!Yeah, that's a pretty accurate comment for me too I think.
I wasn’t a fan but glad we checked F&F out at least oncewill skip it in the future too. I was a bit more charitable to it on my TR, but... yeah...
She loves that ride!Two times! She's a thrill seeker I see.
Our walk was about 15 minutes so a little longer than yours!Just out of curiosity. How long a walk is it?
I wish I had the Vodoo doll donut right now with my coffee!Great. Now I have to wipe the drool off the keyboard.
If it shorts out, you owe me a new one.
You can’t see her socks in this one but they are knee high Slytherin socks. One of the TM’s gave us a little “glitter”, not sure what to call pixie dust at US, he loved Andi’s outfit and gave us a car to ourselves on the Hogwarts Express! He said she needed to get back to schoolLove the costume!
I really hope you have a wonderful trip!! We did HHN in 2016 and I really enjoyed it and I am a scaredy-cat!I will be doing the 3am wake up for my flight on Friday It seemed like a good idea to take the 6am flight at the time I booked though, lol
Loved reading about your Universal experience...it's getting me excited for my own visit there in two days!! (but I really can't wait to get to the Disney portion next Monday. I can handle Mondays when Disney is involved!)
For us, 4 days would be to much. We don’t do the water park so the 2 parks, in my opinion, can be done easily in 1-2 days. The EP makes this so nice!You got a ton done in UO in just a couple days. A friend of mine is going soon for the first time and she's planning on 4 days there and I'm trying to tell her that's too much. I'm trying to convince her to just stay onsite and get the EP instead.
Your macaroons and doughnuts look yummy!
This movie is so good!! Make sure it is the original first one!haven't seen it, but I'll be sure to see it before I head to Universal
It is so true to Kings Cross plus the extra fun of passing through platform 9&3/4!Yes! I've been there too and I was blown away by how exact it seems to be from all the pictures of Universal I've seen.
Oooh, so excited to hear about the room!
She is so good at languages, Andi found her thing for surelove this!