Orlando, Disney and Universal (Harry Potter heaven!!)

poolside and courtside - so fun!

What a trip! We just spent 10 days in Orlando and I could have written a blog every day - even for those nice down time days we planned for in between theme parks and excursions. We had so many questions before we left, specifically about Disney and Universal; was it as busy as they say? Did we have to have every moment of our day and all of the rides planned out? Was the Express pass at Universal worth it? Did we need two days or one? And as with most things, we learned best by doing - and now I have answers! It was my first trip to Florida (I grew up in BC), and my first impressions were more about the culture and just how different it is in the USA (it's been a while since I've been stateside). We stayed at a villa - a giant new-build house (that made me appreciate the solidity of our 130-year old home, doors and all) - in Kissimmee in a community called Westside at Windsor. It seemed a bit out there, not being close to downtown Orlando at all, but it actually wasn’t too far from theme parks, and with a pool (complete with lazy river and hot tub), a basketball/tennis court, and an arcade room, the amenities were great for families. 

first butterbeer!! and walking in diagon alley.. love love love

talking portraits in the forbidden journey

it was like being in the movies... incredible!

hanging in the three broomsticks & the knight bus

self-knitting needles - magic!

more magic... all! day! magic!

We arrived late on Wednesday night and spent Thursday hanging out with family and getting settled before a full day on Friday. With his sister’s family and his parents, Steve took Alana and Jordan to Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Hendrik and I made for Universal Studios with a two-day park-to-park ticket with the intention of getting our fill of all things Harry Potter. The drive there and parking were a breeze, and after we picked up our tickets at Universal Studios (not Islands of Adventure) and unlimited Express Passes (we splurged!), we walked into the park early! We thought we’d have to wait until 9:00 but were in the park around 8:15 and on Escape from Gringott’s at 8:30 - !! It was an amazing ride and everything is recreated in such detail… it was fantastic. And so is the rest of Diagon Alley. We spent most of our morning wandering, exploring the shops, drinking butterbeer (we sampled hot - too sweet, and cold - delicious), selecting a wand (after much deliberation Hendrik chose Sirius Black’s - I thought he was going to go for Harry’s) and practicing magic. Eager to visit Hogsmeade we took the Hogwart’s Express - another incredible adventure - and after more spells settled down for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. We rode the Forbidden Journey and after a rounds on the Flight of the Hippogriff (a very short ride) we decided to venture further afield and explored the rest of IOA. We both had fun running around the Jurassic Park playground thing, but Hendrik passed on the River Adventure ride; we also passed on Skull Island and Toon Lagoon but you better believe that we sat in the front seat on the Incredible Hulk coaster… it was intense. We rode twice in a row and I needed a break, so we did a few other rides (I think one of them was Spider Man which wasn’t that great) before heading back to the Hogwart’s Express and Diagon Alley. There may have been a few more trips back and forth, but we didn’t double up on many more rides after that (I don’t think) - day two was a different story though! There were some great areas for younger kids (younger than Hendrik, who is 9 as of Thursday) - like the Dr Seuss area. The park did seem geared towards older kids and adults, and Hendrik and I kept commenting on how the attractions weren’t really right for Alana and/or Jordan. (The Forbidden Journey was intense! A warning to younger riders is in order - a friend gave me this good advice, so we were both somewhat prepared.)

we had a few great meals at the three broomsticks - with butterbeer, of course!

fun behind the wheel :)

SO fun, so magical

It sounds like the Disney crew had a great time too, and even Jordan enjoyed some of the more intense rides like Splash Mountain and Space Mountain. Alana and her cousin Lennon met Ariel, and I think the themed rides were a hit… yay. Hendrik and I missed the light show on Hogwart’s (we were both cold - and tired after a full day of walking and rides) and the other crew didn’t stay for fireworks, so we met up at home around 8:00 and shared stories about the day before an early bedtime for everyone.

cousin crew

mini-golf FUN

and more mini-golf fun - there were alligators there!

Saturday and Sunday were low-key pool days, and we only left to go mini-golfing (followed by a delicious Mexican lunch and a trip to Target), so we were ready for a full day trip to the Kennedy Space Centre on Monday. And it was amazing! We did the bus tour first which took us to several different launch pads and an outbuilding that houses the Saturn V rocket (the largest rocket ever flown... it was HUGE). The many buildings and exhibits are fantastic, and the kids were engaged and the adults were engaged - there were fun and interesting things for all. (My favourite part was the Apollo building - but I didn’t watch the 3D IMAX stars show, which the kids really enjoyed!) We spent the whole day there, and could have taken more time and done more, so it is a good idea to get there on the early side. Traffic was slow on our way home, so we stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel - a first for me and a nostalgic stop for the Brinkmans (who would stop here on road trips on Florida road trips when Steve and his sister were kids… I think). 

you better believe I got my hands on this donut! I shared.

Tuesday was another recovery day - we hung out by the pool and at the park and at the beach volleyball court - and Wednesday Hendrik, Steve and I went back to Universal and IOA for day two. I think we could have done what we wanted in one day, but it was great to come back and experience Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade again, and we really enjoyed the rides on day two. I think we rode Escape from Gringotts five times in a row and we were definitely more able with the wand and spells. We didn’t make it onto the new ride (we beelined for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures coaster as soon as we got there, but the park didn’t open early (we went to IOA first) and the ride was delayed, so after waiting in line for 45 minutes we bailed - and wait times were almost three hours later in the day) but did Jurassic Park River Adventure twice (fun) and the Incredible Hulk coaster (always in the front seat) at least three times. SO MUCH fun! We drank lots of butter beer (frozen was the best - it lasted the longest) and enjoyed another fish and chips lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Our only other purchases were sherbet lemons and some candy at Honeydukes. And guess what? Steve is now reading the first Harry Potter - yay! The books are so good, and I wish we’d binge watched the movies before we visited the parks. (There were lots of people dressed up in capes and full Hogwarts apparel which was amazing - families, older couples, kids… so fun!)

It was a rainy start but a great day at Disney!

Disney cousins (H and I were drinking butterbeer)

As always, there is more to write about and I need to get started on another blog (Hendrik turned 9!) so I’ll get this one up and hopefully get started on another. Happy December!