Butterbeer or Bust!

So, I love Harry Potter!  The first book was gifted to my family Christmas 1998.  We had never heard of it but it sounded interesting.  My older sister read the whole thing that night.  I took three days to read it (I was only 11).  We loved it!!!  It was not until the third book came out that everyone else seemed to hear about Harry Potter and it became really popular.  Since I was 11 I have been dreaming about Hogwarts and how awesome a place/world it would be to visit.  Hence, why Brad tried to talk me into going during this trip.  However, Disney was definitely a great place for the whole family.  So I had given up on Harry Potter world. But when we were driving into Florida, Brad saw a sign about tickets for $39.  So he pulled over and I went in and found out that if we went and listened to this 90 minute timeshare presentation we could get tickets for both of us for $78 (less than a pull price ticket for one adult and Tacy was still free).  So we did this.  The presentation took 2.5 hours and I was pretty grumpy by the end of it.  But then we got to Universal Studios, Island of Adventure and I got so excited I practically ran all the way to the back where Hogsmead was in the park.  

It was a pretty cloudy day and only got into the 60s so the park was never super crowded (except the street is really narrow in Hogsmead to feel like the movies so it was pretty packed around lunch). Brad and I walked right up to Dragon Challenge and asked if they had a rider swap deal - they do, it's called Child Swap.  Both adults walk through their fast pass line (which you have to pay for at Universal) and tell the workers you are doing child swap.  Then once you are at the ride one parent waits in a room with the child while the other rides and then you swap.  It was fabulous!  We seriously walked right onto the rides and then when we switched the next parent just went out of the room and got put right onto the ride.  Dragon Challenge was a crazy fast loopy roller coaster, but it was fun.

After Dragon challenge we did the same thing at the Hogwarts ride. Brad had to keep reminding me that we were walking through Hogwarts Castle to get me to slow down and enjoy walking through the line and looking at everything, like the talking portraits, Dumbledor's office, the Fat lady and gryffindor tower.  It was awesome!  The ride was so fun, it reminded me of Soaring over California because it was 4 seats that move all around.  You do go around a track while watching a lot of stuff on a screen (but you feel like you really are flying through the video).  They had stuff from several movies, like the giant spider, dementors, quidditch, the whomping willow and dragons.  Oh it was fun!  Brad got a little sick from motion sickness but I loved it!  And Tacy had fun because the Child Swap room had the first Harry Potter playing so she was entertained. 

Since Brad wasn't feeling good, Tacy and I stood in line and rode Flight of

the Hippogriff without him.  This was the longest line we waited in (about 30 minutes).  Since Tacy was tall enough we had to stand in the regular line.  But it was okay because you walk around Hagrid's hut and Buckbeak.  Tacy really liked Buckbeak and kept asking where his mommy and daddy where (she is very concerned about everyone/thing having mommies and daddies).  Brad had my phone so I didn't get any pictures.  Tacy kept practicing her imitation of people shreiking in excitement while riding the ride.  But once again, once the ride started she just stayed close to me and did not make a peep.  But she was happy again afterwards and kept talking about "beak".

inside Three Broomsticks

After the rides we went into Hogsmead and ate lunch at Three Broomsticks.  There was a bit of a line, but it moved so fast.  They sure know how to move people in that place!  And my goodness it was so awesome inside!  I seriously felt like I was in the Harry Potter movies!  Brad made sure to order butterbeer to try.  The food was fine, nothing I'd go crazy over, but the experience was totally worth it!  I thought butterbeer tasted like a really sweet/sugary cream soda.  

After Three Broomsticks we walked into some of the shops like Honeydukes, The Owlery and Filch's Emporium.  We also visited the restrooms and got a kick out of Moaning Myrtle.  Then we headed over to the Jurassic Park area of Universal.  Tacy loves dinosaurs and they had a big junglegym, slide, play area.  So we all climbed around in there.  Tacy loved it all except for a part where you step on dinosaur footprints and when you do you hear the sound that dinosaur makes.  That scared Tacy so we had to hurry through.

After Jurassic Park we went to the Dr. Seuss world area.  It was so lame because Tacy was too short to ride the Dr. Seuss version of the Peoplemover (you sit in a cart and ride around a track that goes slow, and just goes around the whole Dr. Seuss area).  It made no sense to Brad and I when she was tall enough for Flight of the Hippogriff which had ups, downs, and turns.  Oh well.  We did a Cat and the Hat ride and then Tacy and Brad rode One Fish, Two Fish which is like Dumbo (Brad said he would do it because I was a little tired of all the spinning rides).  The funny thing was that for this ride while you are controlling the height of your fish, their are fish around the ride that spit water at you and Tacy liked getting wet (despite it being pretty chilly) so Brad and Tacy came out of the ride damp.  Tacy and I then did the Dr. Seuss carousel.  Then we decided we were done because Tacy and I were cold and Brad and I did not feel like riding The Hulk or Spiderman.  So we stopped in one of the shops along City Walk and I picked out a Harry Potter shirt and Tacy picked a little HP owl (I showed her a purple minion shirt but she decided she liked the owl better).  Brad wanted an HP shotglass, but JK Rowling apparently said no to shotglasses.  Oh well.  

Tacy once again feel asleep instantly once we were in the car.  But she woke up once we got to BJ's Brewery and Resturaunt (my favorite pizza!).  We ate yummy pizza and pzookies.  So yummy I did not take a picture because I was too happy eating it all fast.  That was the end of another good day in Orlando.