June 23, 2016

 I got plenty of sleep last night which is good because today was a long day. I got up got ready and a little after nine o'clock went down to the lobby. I ended up running into the two girls I was tagging along with on the elevator because they were coming down from the floor above me. We met up with their two friends in the lobby and then hung out until around 9:30AM when the shuttle showed up to take us to Universal Studios. I wouldn't come back to pick us up until 7:45PM, which I thought sounded like way too much time, but we ended up filling all of it.

The main goal was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and that is how we spent most of the day. We started in Diagon Alley and it looked amazing. I've seen videos but it is way cooler in person. The attention to deal is incredible. There are so many little details that really make it feel like a real place, not just an attraction at an amusement park. I feel like it would take an absurd amount of trips just to catch all the little things. That would get pretty expensive but I'd be willing to give it a shot.

We checked out a lot of the shops and did the Ollivander's experience where a small group of people are taken into a small room and all the walls are just shelves of wand boxes. Then a man picks out someone from the group and has them try out a few different wands before finding their perfect wand. And you know the right one has been found because a light shines down on the person. It was pretty fun. And the person picked was one of the girls in our group, which was pretty cool.

and then got in line for Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride. You go in through the front and then end up in a long, snaking line out back, before coming back into the bank. The lines for stuff could be long but they always seemed to be moving and it didn't really felt like anything took that long, even when it did. Even with the lines never constantly moving, we still had to cover a lot of ground. We eventually made it into the bank, which was really cool, and then kept going. It's an interesting setup. There is an elevator ride down to the vault level but but the elevator doesn't really go down. At least I don't think it does. It seems that it's only the floor moving, with all the noise and projected screens at the top of the elevator giving the impression of movement. It's pretty cool but coming out of it made me feel a little odd, like right after stepping off a boat and trying to walk on solid ground when your body is used to movement.

After the elevator you grab a fancy pair of 3D glasses and work your way over to and then up a spiral staircase to the ride platform. The ride itself is a mix of a roller coaster and a 3D movie. Technically 4D because there is smoke, you might get water sprinkled on you, and you feel heat. It is all a lot of fun. I want to see the ride with the lights on, though, because it is hard to tell what is really a roller coaster and what is just an illusion, like am I really dropping or is it just the seat tipping forward? I liked it.

Instead of stopping for lunch we got ice cream instead. I got pistachio but that was kind of a rip off because it was really just vanilla with some bright green highlights. One of the girls let me try her butterbeer ice cream and that was way better because it actually tasted like something. Vanilla soft serve really isn't anything to complain about on a hot day, though, and I did appreciate the cold treat.

After that we took the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade. That was neat. Again, the line was long but it moved quickly and we were soon all aboard. The window in the train car is actually a video screen so it looks like you're riding a train in the wizarding world, not just traveling between parks. They also project people on the opaque windows of the door, walking by and talking. All the details.

Hogsmeade has a lot of the same stuff as Diagon Alley so the main goal was to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Another interesting ride. I liked it more than Escape from Gringotts because I thought it was more exciting. It was another mix of a roller coaster and a movie, minus the 3D glasses, but it was just as immersive.

Following the ride we were going to go back to Diagon Alley to eat a late lunch at the Leaky Cauldron but when we started heading up the winding ramp to the train we found out it was broken down. That led to some debate about what to do next. We headed back down the ramp and decided to eat at the Three Broomsticks rather than walking back to the other park. But then when we asked one of the park people they said the train probably wouldn't be broken very long so we turned around and went back up the ramp and got in line. Despite being broken down the line was little moving forward a little bit and a few minutes later it was announced the train was working again. It was a super long and hot line but we eventually got on the train. The ride back was different than the first ride and I think the first was better but the second was still good.

When we got back to Hogsmeade we at lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. The only thing on the menu that didn't have meat was macaroni and cheese on the kids menu. When I asked if that was the only thing without meat the guy said he could actually do a salad with pickled beets and some vegetables. I went with that. It wasn't very filling but it was food. I also found out that I don't mind pickled beets. They tasted just like those tiny corn. One of the girls let me try her butterbeer, which was good but I don't know that I could drink a whole cup of it.

I think it was after lunch that I went and bought myself a wand. I didn't get one in the morning because I didn't want to have to carry the long bag around all day. I ended up going with Professor Trelawney's wand because it was clean and simple. I then had to carry the bag around the rest of the day but it was worth it.

After that we rode Escape from Gringotts again. The line went faster this time and it was still fun but I still liked Forbidden Journey better. Following the ride we decided to go on a Jurassic Park river ride. It was back in the other park and we didn't want to wait on the train so we ended up walking over to the other park. At a very fast pace. It was hard to keep up at times. It was getting later in the day so the thought was to get over there quickly so we could go on the ride before we had to get back for the shuttle. Well, the line for the ride ended up being practically non-existent so the rush was unnecessary, but unfortunately we didn't know that at the time. The ride itself was neat. Not as good as the Harry Potter stuff but still fun to look at. The real draw was the water part. We were in the last row in our car which is good because on the last big plunge we only got a little bit splashed, and the front couple of rows got a lot more water.

After the ride we were able to relax a little bit. We stopped at one more shop before leaving and the pace was much better. We got out to the shuttle spot with plenty of time to spare and ended up sitting on the ground while we waited.

My goal when getting back to my room was to put my feet up and order a pizza. I got a flyer under my door yesterday for a pizza place and there was another one from a different pizza place when I got back. I ended up going with the second one because I could also get fries and mozzarella sticks. It took an hour for the pizza to arrive but I'd say it was worth it because it was really good. And I'll get to eat leftovers, which I am already looking forward to.

While waiting to eat and then throughout the night I texted with friends and family about my day and then started writing this. It is now after eleven o'clock and I need to go to because I have to wake up for a group breakfast in the morning and then the conference starts in the afternoon. It is going to be another long day.