Annual Passes

After taking some time to settle into our rental in Florida, we headed to Universal Studios! We bought Annual Passes so that we can go whenever we want.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We headed straight to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for breakfast at Three Broomsticks. I got the pancake breakfast and Jeff just ate whatever I didn’t finish. He wasn’t really hungry yet.

After breakfast, we rode on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which takes place in the Hogwarts castle. We have ridden this ride on past trips and I still love it! It’s a perfect amount of thrill for me and I feel immersed in the Harry Potter world when I ride it.

Kong

Next, we rode the new (to us) Kong ride. When we got on, the door to our car kept opening on its own before we took off. I jokingly asked “Is this the ride?”. The woman sitting on the other side of Jeff asked if this was our first time on the ride. I said “Yeah. So far…I am disappointed.”

The woman found that HILARIOUS.

She said, That is the best line I've ever heard!”

Damn. She must not have many conversations. While I enjoy making people laugh, especially when I’m not trying to, it was a bit odd that she found it so funny.

The ride eventually stopped malfunctioning and it was a decent ride. I wouldn’t wait in a long line for it again, though.

Jimmy Fallon

We walked around the parks a bit and rode the new (to us) Jimmy Fallon ride, Race Through New York. It was decent, but not one I'm in a rush to do again. It’s another one I wouldn’t want to wait in a long line for. Granted, the line never seems to get very long.

The group sitting in front of us had some issues with their seat belt and it took a while for them to figure it out. An employee eventually had to basically lean over one of them to push the buckle in more. There may have been a language barrier.

E.T.

We rode E.T. Adventure, which is the only original ride at Universal now. You can tell. It’s undergoing refurbishment, but still operating. It hasn’t changed a bit, though some of the characters are looking a little worse for the wear.

Diagon Alley

We ended up in Diagon Alley and I got some Butterbeer and Butterbeer ice cream for Jeff and me to share. I love Butterbeer (frozen is my fave) and had been waiting all day to enjoy it. Enjoy it, I did.

We bummed around some of the shops and rode the Escape from Gringotts ride, another one of my favorites. I may be biased since I love Harry Potter.

Upside Down

Jeff convinced me to ride the Rip Tide Rockit coaster. I did not like it. At all. My eyes were closed for a lot of it and my whole body tenses up when I’m close to going upside down. This one doesn’t technically go upside down, but close enough.

I bummed around the Jurassic area and got some snacks while Jeff rode the new Velocicoaster ride. It goes upside down several times, so that’s a no for me.

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures

Since there was a Single Rider option available, we took a ride on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It was our first time on it and damn, did it deliver! That may be my new favorite ride at Universal! No wonder there is always a long line for it. It has the perfect amount of thrill for me. There are drops, reversing cars, speed, and NO UPSIDE DOWN! It’s (chef’s kiss) perfect! Since we used the Single Rider line, we were both paired with other people and used the sidecars and not the bikes.

The guy I was paired with was a bigger dude and he had to ride on the motorbike part because he couldn’t fit in the sidecar. While we were waiting in our seats for the ride to start, I imagined we may have looked a little bit like Hagrid and Harry due to our size difference. He was much less hairy than Hagrid, though. Of course, not nearly as big as him either.

Rest of the Day

We rode the Hogwarts Express twice to get back and forth between Universal Studios and Island’s of Adventure.

We caught one of the parades and Squidward mocked Jeff for being on his phone, which I found amusing. It’s a really short parade. Dora the Explorer has a float and that struck me as odd since I see no other mention of her throughout the parks. Granted, we don’t spend a lot of time in the kid areas.

Waiting for the Light/Fireworks show on Hogwarts

We finished our day at the park with another ride on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and then we caught the light/fireworks display on the Hogwarts Castle. Nice way to end the day.

Universal Studios