Universal Studios Florida (Part III)

We stepped off our water taxi and breezed through CityWalk. We couldn’t wait to spend our first day at Universal Studios, our second day at Islands of Adventure, our third day by the pool followed by an evening at Disney’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom, and our final day hopping around the different Disney parks.

We decided to forgo the Universal Park-to-Park Pass because it was more expensive and unnecessary with a four year old and nine month old. (We are now annual pass holders and love the flexibility of going park-to-park. We also love riding The Hogwarts Express Train which can’t be done unless you have a Park-to-Park Pass. It’s not just a train but a fully immersive experience and one of the few rides the under two crowd can enjoy. I would recommend doing the Park-to-Park pass if you are a massive Harry Potter fan or are spending the day at Universal with toddlers or babies. Also, it’s the only ride you can push a stroller through, so it’s a nice break for the kids away from the sun and heat).

So there we were, standing at the entrance… so so so excited. The weather was a beautiful 70 degrees. (December is an ideal time to travel to Florida if you don’t enjoy extreme heat). The sun was shining and it truly felt like we had stepped into old Hollywood. Universal Studios is iconic, especially during Christmas time with all the decorations. And this theme park has several different areas that make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time or into a different world. It’s wonderful walking around the streets of New York and San Francisco… but the most exciting part was walking into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter… located in the back of the park. You wouldn’t even know it was there because there’s a hidden entrance tucked behind the streets of London.

At the very back of the park is an exact replica of King’s Cross Station (where the Hogwarts Express is located). And tucked away behind that is a brick wall with an opening that you walk through (just like in the movie). Once through, it opens up to an exact replica of Diagon Alley. It’s actually insane how magical it is.

There are so many little shops and crevices to explore. One of our favorites is Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor which has the most delicious ice cream (shown above and below). Make sure you leave yourself enough time to really explore and immerse yourself in this area. Other than The Hogwarts Express, there is only one other ride in Diagon Alley - Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. The entire queue is an exact replica of the interior of Gringotts Bank, with goblins and all. There is even a fire breathing dragon on top of the bank (see below) that yes, actually breathes out flames every 15 Minutes.

The ride itself is incredible and in my top 5 favorite rides of all time. It combines virtual reality with a track that whips you around the underground tunnels and vaults of Gringotts. You literally follow Ron, Hermione, and Harry as they search for the final horcrux. Do not miss this you will regret it. You have to be 42 inches to ride.

The rest of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hogwarts and Hogsmeade) is located inside Islands of Adventure, which we were saving for the next day, so we exited Diagon Alley and headed over to ET Adventure.

I actually went on ET Adventure when I was little and I vaguely remembered it. This ride is sweet and magical and nostalgic and is still one of my and Camilla’s favorites, to this day. The entire queue is a dark, misty forest. Once on the ride (which is in the shape of a flying bike), you continue to fly through the misty forest (with ET in a bicycle basket) to deliver him home to save his planet. It’s a dark, magical ride and they even say your name at the end, thanking you personally for saving ET. Now that Kroy is finally tall enough he’s been able to go on it the last few times and it’s been so wonderful to experience it together as an entire family.

Other rides we loved in this park (and still do) included Minions and Transformers. Universal really excels and blows Disney out of the water in terms of their use of virtual reality and simulators (other than Avatar) and these two rides are prime examples of that.

But one of the most magical moments was the Christmas Parade… it was the perfect way to end our already perfect day and one of the highlights of visiting during Christmas Time.