orlando-day 3

The kids looked incredibly sweet all snuggled up this morning, but unfortunately, we needed to wake them to make it to the gates when they opened.  I hate waking sleeping kids, but we had the best day ahead of us!  It was finally time for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!! Kevin turned the first movie on as they were waking up, which was a good distraction from the fact that we were waking them at such an early hour.

We quickly dressed, ate some muffins and yogurt (purchased the night before at Whole Foods), checked in at our second hotel (a Universal property so we could get Unlimited passes for the next two days), then caught the water taxi over to the park.

Despite the heat, Colby wanted to wear his Harry costume from last Halloween.  Brooke wanted to dress like Hermione, and I found the perfect dress on Amazon...

Kevin and I had researched so many tips and tricks for visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is actually split between two parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).  Most recommended starting with Gringotts Bank and the Escape from Gringotts ride, so that's exactly what we did.  Colby was barely 48 inches, the requirement for several of the Harry Potter rides, so I frequently reminded him to stand up tall :)

It was so cool to be walking along the streets of the movies we've seen and the books we've been listening to.  It all started a few years ago on our drive to Turner Falls, but since then, we've listened to books 1-4 multiple times and have watched the movies countless times as well. It's been fun to talk about the characters together, especially since we all know the storyline well.  The dragon on top breathes fire periodically and you can feel the heat when standing anywhere near the bank. 

After we Escaped from Gringotts, we headed to Olivander's to let the kids pick a wand.  We thought we could do the whole "wand picks the wizard" experience, but they only do it twice a day and only 20 people can attend each experience.  Our chances were VERY slim, and since we missed the first one, we opted to just go inside and find an employee that could help us.  

I overheard this employee talking with some teenage girls (who were obviously die-hard fans and very emotional about picking their wands), so I waited for him to finish, then asked if he would help our kids. He asked them multiple questions, then came back with a few wands he thought they would love.  Colby ended up selecting a Death Eater wand, and Brooke chose one with a pink crystal on the bottom that belonged to Seraphina Picquery (from Fantastic Beasts, which we haven't seen). 

Once outside the shop, we studied the maps to scope out all the interactive spell locations...

The spell locations were marked with special emblems on the floor so you knew where to stand.  Pictured at each location were the wand movements necessary to activate the feature.  This particular one was't super sensitive, so the kids tried repeatedly before it actually activated.  I was getting frustrated after spending $50 per wand, but Colby finally got it and he was super happy to see the rain falling from that umbrella. 

We checked out a few more shops before heading down Nocturne Alley...

Within the Alley, there were several more wand locations...

Then we headed to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.  It was so fun to be in these iconic places from the movies! 

While we waited for our food, we sampled some Fizzing Whizbees and studied maps...

The lunch was fairly good, but the real highlight was the drinks!!  Of course, we had to try the Butterbeer, but we also ordered Frozen Butterbeer (my favorite), Pumpkin Juice (basically cold wassel), and Tongue Tying Lemon Squash (amazingly good lemonade). 

Quality Quidditch Supplies...

We took a few pictures on Hagrid's motorbike :) The ride was over in Islands of Adventure and was by far my favorite ride!  Colby barely met the height requirement, but we rode twice and loved it SO much. 

Practiced a few more spells...

Colby was having the hardest time with this one, then Brooke swooped in and did it her first or second try.  But Colby didn't give up and finally got the book to open!

Watched a street show...

Made a call to the ministry of magic (something I read about on a "Tips and Tricks" blog)...

And checked out the Night Bus...

Then it was all aboard the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station.  The kids were literally jumping and skipping the whole way there.  Kevin and I were equally excited, I think ;)

Kevin took a picture of me taking a picture of the kids, haha.  I just wanted to capture every single moment because they were just so happy and immersed in the whole experience. 

You can't take pictures or videos inside the train, but as you traveled between parks, an audio recording played (along with lights and shadows) so it was as if the characters (and some of the creatures) were onboard as well.

When we exited the train, we arrived in Hogsmeade...

And finally caught a glimpse of Hogwarts!!

Then we rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which made most of us (except Colby) sick.  It was an "immersive" ride where you are sitting four to a car, but the car is constantly moving in place, jerking forwards and back as screens all around you are changing so you feel like you're flying all over the castle on a broomstick.  The whole concept was really cool, but my stomach did not agree.  Colby was begging to ride again, but neither Kevin or I was up for that again. 

Brooke and I went to the bathroom afterwards and she admitted to me that she felt like she might throw up. It was also really hot, so we bought $7 waters and tried to make ourselves feel better :/

Eventually, we opted to go inside a restaurant to take a mask break, enjoy some air conditioning, and let our bodies regulate.  While inside the restaurant, the kids wanted to sample the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.  I stuck with the normal flavors, but the kids branched out and tried the nasty flavors like earwax, dirt, vomit, soap, and bogey, haha!

We checked out a few dinosaur rides...

Then decided that since we were about to leave the park anyway, it would be the perfect time to ride the water rides. That might have been a mistake, haha.  We were SO incredibly soaked and freezing that we even tried one of the "people dryers" which was basically worthless.

As we walked out of the park, dripping and cold, the kids still wanted to stop and pose on these cute critters...

We got back to our hotel with just enough time to change our clothes before heading back to City Walk for our dinner reservation. I allowed Brooke to wear her pajama shirt because she was freezing and I didn't have any other warm clothes for her to wear, haha. 

The ride on the water taxi was beautiful and the chips and salsa at Antojitos were amazing.  My entree wasn't that great, but I didn't even care because the chips and salsa were that good!  

That night, Kevin spent forever trying to dry out our shoes with the hair dryer. Mine were still damp a week later, but his efforts definitely helped since the kids needed to wear those shoes the next day.

Brooke fell asleep despite the noise in the room, so I guess that's a sign of a fun-filled day!