Looking at the Vacation

It was a wonderful vacation. We experienced sun and sand and family. Thrown in on the end was a 2 day visit to Universal Studios specifically to see Harry Potter World (Hogwarts and Hogsmeade).
My sister and brother in law were gracious hosts and we loved our visit! The hot tub was delightful even if the weather was a little on the chilly side. It did warm up to near 70 degrees so it was definitely warmer than Indiana. We crammed in a bunch of activities – we went to some thrift stores, the guys played frisbee golf, visited the farmer’s market, had sushi, I cooked a steak dinner (with help from my sister), did a few geocaches, we walked on the beach, watched the sun set, enjoyed the hot tub, watched a little TV, and talked! There are a few of you who might think I talk a lot. Well, I can’t hold a candle to my little sister!! The last night there we talked until 3:00 AM… I was so tired the next day.

 

   

After a longish ride back to Orlando, we were able to relax and prepare for the visit to Universal Studios. Having been to “the happiest place on earth” I was hoping for a similar experience. They have 2 parks and each one has a portion of the Harry Potter universe. I suspect this is to ensure fans shell out the money for both parks. I was a little dismayed that all rides exited through the gift shops. It was a little blatant. To be more specific, Paradise Island is geared to little kids. The rides were less terrifying (in general) and the waits shorter except for the new ride “Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure” which first thing in the morning was already a 2.5 hour wait time standing in line. By the end of the day it was a 3 hour wait and they weren’t allowing any more people after 3:00 PM! We had a 5 min wait on most of the other rides! Best one was The Minion Ride. Followed by the Fast and Furious ride as the funniest. We didn’t do any of the rides that involved water. The Harry Potter attractions involved spots where (provided you shelled out $55 to purchase the wand) you could stand and waving your wand in a specific pattern activate the “magic”. The result was the sight of dollar signs floating through the air and little wizards and witches having mini meltdowns as they failed to “flick and swish” effectively.

So my overall evaluation of Universal Studios was a resounding “meh”. Yes I had fun but it was not as well done as Disney. The Jurassic Park area was completely underwhelming. Only half the science-oriented stations worked and the overall feeling was of being talked down to… On the other hand the best and cheapest concession was the smoked turkey leg. It was big enough for 2 and without the $3 chips only $13! (yes the food is very over priced) We took a backpack with some foods – bananas and pears and oranges and a couple bagels and pastries from the hotel breakfast. I can’t imagine feeding a family in the park!!
Now on the other hand we got to do some quality people watching. The park was rife with newlyweds. Most of the couples were from the UK or South America. How do you know? you ask. Well, the big badges that many wore that said “We’re Celebrating…” with a write in area. Most said “our honeymoon” while there were a few that said “our wedding”. There were others that had t-shirts that said “Hubby” and “Wifey” or Good Wife/Bad Wife with the word witch crossed out. As for their countries of origin, the accents were unmistakable. Most of the people visiting the Harry Potter attractions were from across the pond (UK) – and they were quite happy to let you know where they called home. The Brits mostly reminded us of a Tracey Ullman type – down to earth working class and plain good people on the vacation of their lives. The couples from South America (some from Brasil and Venezuela and a few from Peru and then the others who were undetermined) seemed to be slumming it. They were on the whole, pushy and loud and not at all friendly. Perhaps it is a cultural thing. Those women were the only people wearing high heels and what I’d consider clothes to go clubbing in (maybe they were so unfriendly because their feet hurt)!