The TMs are Starting to Recognize Us! September 2018 TR *NEW TR LINK 4/8

We met Po on our "adults only" few hours at Universal last November. It was definitely a cool meet. really I would generally say his movies may be my favorites of the dreamworks movies. So beautifully rendered and quite charming. Certainly way more watchable than Shrek or Madagascar.
 
I don't think I have ever heard of Voodoo donuts. They sure look good though! If I ever get back to Universal, I will have to keep them in mind.
It's funny that you wore water outfits to do the water rides. I've done the same before. The water rides at Disney are generally tame, but the Universal ones get you soaked!
 
Mmm those doughnuts look so good! I'm excited to finally try it out!

Adorable pics with Po!

Getting to try Voodoo Doughnuts was high on the list of things I was excited about on this trip! And it didn't disappoint!!! They were all delicious. I really don't think there's a bad choice to be made there.

We met Po on our "adults only" few hours at Universal last November. It was definitely a cool meet. really I would generally say his movies may be my favorites of the dreamworks movies. So beautifully rendered and quite charming. Certainly way more watchable than Shrek or Madagascar.

Yes, I remember seeing that pic and it was one of the MANY that got me so focused on the idea of meeting Po! He's just so cute. I have only seen the first movie, but I really enjoyed it.

I don't think I have ever heard of Voodoo donuts. They sure look good though! If I ever get back to Universal, I will have to keep them in mind.
It's funny that you wore water outfits to do the water rides. I've done the same before. The water rides at Disney are generally tame, but the Universal ones get you soaked!

They are DELICIOUS!!! We are a donut-loving family so we were super excited to try it when we heard it would be opening before this trip.

Yes, we would never go on one of the Universal water rides without coming prepared. We have always gotten soaked to the bone! I couldn't believe how many people were riding in jeans. That seems like it would be so uncomfortable for the rest of the day!!
 


Day 4 Continued: Tuesday September 18th

Part of the reason we had taken our time this morning was because last year, Popeye & Bluto’s hadn’t opened until 10 am when the park opened at 9 am. We had ridden Dudley Do-Right’s and Jurassic Park well before then, and had been forced to sit around waiting for Popeye’s to open. This time, we decided instead of getting there at opening, we’d just get there closer to when Popeye & Bluto’s was open so we could ride that first. DS was staunchly opposed to riding Dudley Do-Right’s this year, so we only planned on doing the Popeye raft ride and Jurassic Park this time.


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All smiles and ready to get wet.


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As soon as we got off of the ride, DS said he wanted to do it again. Why not when we are already soaked to the bone?!


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Now that we were completely soaked, we decided to head over to Jurassic Park.

We were seated in the second row.


Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately??), the giant t-rex from the end of the ride just before you go down the big drop was nowhere to be found!! Normally this would terrify me, but it was actually really anticlimactic without it. I heard later on a podcast that she had been removed for refurbishment. Had we known that ahead of time, we may have even skipped this ride this time around. But the drop was still pretty fun.

We were ready to head out of the park after that, but not before getting DS a strawberry Icee from the cart by King Kong.


Continued in next post...
 
Day 4 Continued: Tuesday September 18th

Instead of heading up to the room to change and head back to the parks, we figured since we were already in bathing suits and mostly wet still, we’d head to the pool for a little while.


Here’s a great picture of the time I got stuck in the middle of the slide, and the kid who came down behind me plowed into me and kept telling me to get out of the way. I was like, “Kid, where do you think I’m going to go?!”


We had some fun playing around in the pool for awhile, going down the water slide, and had lunch from the pool bar, sharing 3 kids meals again. This time we got the grilled cheese, chicken tenders, and pizza.


Once we were done in the pool, we went up to the room to change and rest for a little while. I requested a late cleaning again, and we were ready to head out to the parks around 3 pm when we walked over to Studios.

Once inside the park, we made a pass through Minion Mayhem.


We stopped at the drink stand outside Monsters Café to get our cup filled with Powerade after finishing the ride.

Then we tried to help protect the Allspark on Transformers.

DS was too scared to ride Revenge of the Mummy again, so we agreed to do a child swap because DH and I really wanted to ride.

I don’t know if I mentioned the locker situation here, but it is so much better! They used to be to the right of the ride and were packed in really tight so sometimes it was a madhouse trying to rent or retrieve items from a locker. Now they have them over to the left where the extended queue used to be, and it’s a huge room with tons of space to move around. And there are different sizes so they have little narrow ones if you just need to put your phone or wallet, and larger ones for bags.

So back when I typed up this update, the locker situation was still entirely free. In case you don't keep up with Universal news, that has now changed!! Now the only ones that are free are the smaller more narrow ones. The ones we usually use that fit a backpack are now $2 PER RIDE! I'm so disappointed in this change, and I think it's a ridiculous money grab. It will change the way we pack for the parks now, for sure. On a 4 or 5 day trip, $2 a ride just isn't feasible.


After taking turns on there, we went over to Fast & Furious at DS’s request.

Every other time we’d ridden this, we’d breezed through the queue, even after the Express Pass merge point. This time, we caught up to a busy line very quickly. We stuck it out for a little while, but eventually there was an announcement overhead that they were running at limited capacity, so we decided to bail out of the line and move on to something else.

We grabbed a lemonade Icee, then headed over to London.


We went on Escape From Gringotts, then DS wanted to cast a few spells before dinner. We found this place over where you exit from Gringotts where you can control these eyeballs with your interactive wand even though it’s not a designated magic spot on the map.


After DS had his fill of magic, we went over to ride Men In Black next.

Then we were ready for some dinner. So we went over to trusty old Springfield.


There are no kids meal burgers, so I went with the regular Krusty Burger meal and couldn’t finish all of the fries. DS went with the hot dog, and DH got the chicken & waffle sandwich again.

While we were eating, there was a TM coming around giving away free cupcakes! I guess since they were about to close they were giving away what they had left for the day. He offered DS a choice of either orange or peanut butter & jelly, and he picked orange.


I don’t think either flavor really appealed to him, so he actually ended up scooping the icing off and just eating the cake. :laughing:

Our plan after dinner had been to take the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure for some more rides since Studios was closing. But the clouds overhead were looking ominous, and we didn’t want to get stuck in the rain.


We decided to just walk back instead. On the way out, DH ended up staying behind and riding Rip Ride Rockit twice. It never did end up raining, I don’t think, but we were okay with deciding to go back to the room. DS was pretty tired. So we got to bed early. It was all well and good since we were ready for another morning of 7 am early entry in the morning!

UP NEXT: Breakfast of Hogwarts Champions
 



This picture cracks me up!

I think one thing I would like about staying onsite at Universal is being able to go back and change after the water rides. Those rides are SUCH soakers! If it's warm enough to ride them in January, I think I'll pack us a change of clothes or something so we're not walking around completely uncomfortable.

Sounds like a fun time at the pool and a good evening in the parks!
 
As soon as we got off of the ride, DS said he wanted to do it again. Why not when we are already soaked to the bone?!
Why not? I've done this before myself!

Here’s a great picture of the time I got stuck in the middle of the slide, and the kid who came down behind me plowed into me and kept telling me to get out of the way. I was like, “Kid, where do you think I’m going to go?!”
:laughing:

So back when I typed up this update, the locker situation was still entirely free. In case you don't keep up with Universal news, that has now changed!! Now the only ones that are free are the smaller more narrow ones. The ones we usually use that fit a backpack are now $2 PER RIDE! I'm so disappointed in this change, and I think it's a ridiculous money grab.
I read about this too. It is pretty disappointing. I don't know what their rationale is other than a money grab.
 
I remember you planned all the water rides so you could go back and change afterwards on your last trip, and it's such a brilliant idea. Being able to walk back and get out of those wet clothes versus lugging outfits with you or having to let them air dry on you is so much more convenient.

I'd heard that Universal was now charging for lockers, but I didn't know it was per ride. Wowza! That's brutal. Definitely makes you pack light from now on, so you can fit everything in those tiny lockers.
 
I'm caught back up on your report again! :) Your water ride photos came out so cute! Smart that you took advantage of the already wet situation and went for a swim! I can't believe that they've started charging for the larger ride lockers at Universal. That's really disappointing.
 
Looks like you guys really make the most of your trip! Lots of fun stuff!

We try to!! We love getting so much time to relax and enjoy the parks.

This picture cracks me up!

I think one thing I would like about staying onsite at Universal is being able to go back and change after the water rides. Those rides are SUCH soakers! If it's warm enough to ride them in January, I think I'll pack us a change of clothes or something so we're not walking around completely uncomfortable.

Sounds like a fun time at the pool and a good evening in the parks!

Haha DH found my reactions quite funny as well. That water was cold!!

It was definitely another great perk of staying so close! If we stay offsite, we'd either skip the water rides entirely or bring a change of clothes. You get SO soaked, especially on the Barges! I hate walking around all day in soaking wet clothes.

Why not? I've done this before myself!

Might as well!! The TM even made a joke because he ended up buckling us in for both rides, and the second time he said, "Well, I'd tell you that you might get wet, but..." :laughing:

I read about this too. It is pretty disappointing. I don't know what their rationale is other than a money grab.

Totally a money grab, and it really is a total shame. I'm really upset they made this change that basically punishes anyone who needs to take in a regular sized bag and/or people who are there for several days. $2 a ride might be doable if you're only there one day, but when we're there 4-5 days, there's just no way we can spend that much on lockers.

I remember you planned all the water rides so you could go back and change afterwards on your last trip, and it's such a brilliant idea. Being able to walk back and get out of those wet clothes versus lugging outfits with you or having to let them air dry on you is so much more convenient.

I'd heard that Universal was now charging for lockers, but I didn't know it was per ride. Wowza! That's brutal. Definitely makes you pack light from now on, so you can fit everything in those tiny lockers.

It worked out so well last time, and we were able to tweak it a little this time to make it even better! It was great getting to just go back, swim, and then get changed into clothes for the evening. I hate walking around soaking wet.

YES! It's ridiculous!! We are absolutely going to have to change how we pack for the parks on future trips. $2 a ride is never going to happen for us.

I'm caught back up on your report again! :) Your water ride photos came out so cute! Smart that you took advantage of the already wet situation and went for a swim! I can't believe that they've started charging for the larger ride lockers at Universal. That's really disappointing.

Thanks for joining in!!!

Last time, we just went back to the resort and changed, but this time since we spent so many days back at the pool, it just made sense to go for our swim right then since we were already wet!

Totally disappointing, and totally unreasonable for us when we are there for 4-5 days!
 
Day 5: Wednesday September 19th

Today was another early morning. We were getting up around 6 am so we could make it to 7 am early entry at Studios. By 6:40, we were leaving the room and went down to take the boat over to City Walk.


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They opened the gates a little early for us, so at 6:50 we were walking into a nearly empty Diagon Alley.


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Belle was ready and excited!


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Of course, we were heading straight for Escape From Gringotts!


Another wonderful ride on one of my favorites! DS was starting to get into it now, and he asked to ride it again right after, so we got right back in line.


We got to the point where you’re about to go inside the pre-show, and the TMs said the ride had gone down. They didn’t tell us we had to leave the line, but they basically said it would be the best since it seemed the ride would be down for awhile. So we hopped out of line and grabbed our stuff from the lockers. We still had a decent amount of time left in our early entry hour, so we just meandered around Diagon Alley for a bit.


We decided to get some ice cream because…vacation. The line had been crazy every other time we’d been in Diagon Alley later in the day, so who cares if we just had breakfast. Let’s have some Butterbeer soft serve to share at 7:30 am!


We caught the dragon breathing fire as we came out into the street.

DS asked to visit Ollivanders again, and we agreed. But it was made clear before we even entered that were he to get picked for the wand ceremony again, he was absolutely NOT getting another wand!!

We went straight into a room, and this time DS was not picked. As far as kids go, it was just him and a pair of siblings in our group, and the siblings were picked for the wand ceremony.


We did stop in the shop at the end though to let DS make a purchase he’d been eyeing to spend his birthday money on. He really wanted a wand holder to display his wands. We spent some time looking at the different options, and ultimately he ended up picking one that could hold all 3 wands he now has. And since we’d still be on property for a few more days, we were able to have it sent to the room.

By then, the park was open, so we decided to head over to Men In Black.

DS asked to go to Transformers next, so we took a detour through Springfield to get there.


Continued in next post...
 
Day 5 Continued: Wednesday September 19th

As we were walking up, I saw Bumblebee was out meeting!! Somehow I always miss meeting Bumblebee and he’s my favorite Autobot. So I sprinted ahead and called to DH and DS to hurry over.


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They continued to amble over at a freaking snail’s pace, so by the time I gave up on them and tried to get in the line myself, the TM told me the line was closed. That made me a little grumpy as we walked over to ride the attraction instead.


We managed to defeat Megatron yet again before deciding to take the train over to Islands of Adventure. So over to King’s Cross Station we went.

I’m really excited to see what the new attraction will be like! Hopefully we will have the opportunity to try it out next year. I’m so anxious for more details!

We headed into Hogsmeade so we could take a ride on Forbidden Journey.


After getting our stomachs turned all around on FJ, we went on Flight of the Hippogriff.


We decided to cross the bridge over into Jurassic Park, since we were all wearing our JP t-shirts. But it doesn’t stop me from a photo op in front of Hogwarts from the bridge!

We were heading that way because DS wanted to check out the exit store for River Adventure, but as we passed the Raptor Encounter the line didn’t seem long so we hopped in. Unfortunately we found out pretty quickly we wouldn’t be getting to meet Blue, which was disappointing, but we would be meeting Roe.

Soon enough, it was our turn, and I won’t lie, I was nervous!!! Those raptors are intimidating!

Roe started pushing at my sunglasses, and the handler called out to me, “Just let it happen! Just let it happen!”


So I did because I didn’t want my hand anywhere near those jaws!

And then she roared at us, and we all got the heck out of dodge!!

Such a fun meet!! I think we will probably always do this now as long as the wait is not very long.

UP NEXT: Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
 
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Belle was ready and excited!


Diagon Alley seems like exactly the kind of book-inspired adventure that Belle would love!

The line had been crazy every other time we’d been in Diagon Alley later in the day, so who cares if we just had breakfast. Let’s have some Butterbeer soft serve to share at 7:30 am!

When on vacation! :)

They continued to amble over at a freaking snail’s pace, so by the time I gave up on them and tried to get in the line myself, the TM told me the line was closed. That made me a little grumpy as we walked over to ride the attraction instead.

That's disappointing. :(

Such a fun meet!! I think we will probably always do this now as long as the wait is not very long.

We've still never done this, but it looks really fun! We'll have to try it next time.
 
They opened the gates a little early for us, so at 6:50 we were walking into a nearly empty Diagon Alley.
Nice! My only experience in Diagon Alley was 2014, just a few months after it had opened. It was crazy crowded then!

We got to the point where you’re about to go inside the pre-show, and the TMs said the ride had gone down.
Darn. That happened to me after waiting in the queue for 45 minutes. I never did get to ride it :sad1:

The line had been crazy every other time we’d been in Diagon Alley later in the day, so who cares if we just had breakfast. Let’s have some Butterbeer soft serve to share at 7:30 am!
Why not? It's vacation! I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a cauldron cake and frozen butterbeer for breakfast once.

I’m really excited to see what the new attraction will be like! Hopefully we will have the opportunity to try it out next year. I’m so anxious for more details!
I'm curious too. I actually never tried the Dragon Challenge - it just looked too intense for me. I'm curious what the new coaster will be like.

And then she roared at us, and we all got the heck out of dodge!!
That looks like a lot of fun. They really did a good job with this meet.
 
It must be so cool walking through such an empty Diagon Alley! Bummer that Gringotts ended up going down but it still sounds like an enjoyable morning- especially when ice cream for breakfast is involved! :)

Awesome pics from the Raptor Encounter! I really want to try to do this if the line isnt too long, it looks so fun!
 
Bummer that Gringotts went down, but thankfully you got to ride it once.

Ice cream at 7:30 is perfectly acceptable when on vacation. Heck, if it's Butterbeer soft serve it's acceptable at ANY time. :rotfl2:

Good use of birthday money, Paxton. ::yes:: Alex made us a wand display and put it right in the front hallway; he's been given a hard time about it by a few friends, but he has no shame. :rotfl:


The photos from the raptor encounter are the best. Your reactions to the sunglasses incident and the roaring are priceless!
 
Diagon Alley seems like exactly the kind of book-inspired adventure that Belle would love!

Excellent point!! Wouldn't that be hilarious if she was reading Order of the Phoenix or something in the movie. lol

When on vacation! :)

Precisely!

That's disappointing. :(

I was so annoyed at them being slow pokes. :headache:

We've still never done this, but it looks really fun! We'll have to try it next time.

It is SO FUN!! We missed out on it for several trips too, but when we did it last year we loved it so much we knew we had to do it again this time.

Nice! My only experience in Diagon Alley was 2014, just a few months after it had opened. It was crazy crowded then!

As much as it pained me to have to wait so long, we didn't visit either Harry Potter section until it had been open for a good long time, so luckily it has always been manageable in our experiences. I can imagine how crazy it was when it first opened!

Darn. That happened to me after waiting in the queue for 45 minutes. I never did get to ride it :sad1:

That really sucks you never got to ride!! It's a great attraction.

Why not? It's vacation! I'm not ashamed to admit that I had a cauldron cake and frozen butterbeer for breakfast once.

Exactly!! We eyed the cauldron cakes later in the trip but never did get one. So many of the treats look so delicious.

I'm curious too. I actually never tried the Dragon Challenge - it just looked too intense for me. I'm curious what the new coaster will be like.

DH and I both rode it many many times when it was Dueling Dragons, but never did manage to make the time for it when it changed over to Dragon Challenge, which I regret now that it's gone. Not because the ride was any different, but just missing out on the queue is disappointing.

That looks like a lot of fun. They really did a good job with this meet.

They did!! It's so fun and the handlers do an excellent job keeping everything on theme.

It must be so cool walking through such an empty Diagon Alley! Bummer that Gringotts ended up going down but it still sounds like an enjoyable morning- especially when ice cream for breakfast is involved! :)

Awesome pics from the Raptor Encounter! I really want to try to do this if the line isnt too long, it looks so fun!

It really is!! I will miss those early entry mornings when we are staying offsite next year. So peaceful!

Hopefully you can catch it with a short line. It's awesome!! I think it opens around 10-ish so the line should be shorter around that time if you're in the area. And even if it's 20 minutes or so, it's worth it to watch everyone ahead of you interact with the raptor.

Bummer that Gringotts went down, but thankfully you got to ride it once.

Ice cream at 7:30 is perfectly acceptable when on vacation. Heck, if it's Butterbeer soft serve it's acceptable at ANY time. :rotfl2:

Good use of birthday money, Paxton. ::yes:: Alex made us a wand display and put it right in the front hallway; he's been given a hard time about it by a few friends, but he has no shame. :rotfl:


The photos from the raptor encounter are the best. Your reactions to the sunglasses incident and the roaring are priceless!

It was especially a bummer this time around since DS liked the ride a lot more than he did last year.

I totally agree!!! It was always so busy that we kept putting it off, so early in the morning when it was empty seemed like the perfect time.

Haha no shame here either!! The very first one we bought (non interactive) is sitting up on our mantel! DS was super excited to have a way to display all of his in his room, so it was a great purchase and kept us from bringing home ANOTHER stuffed animal for him to add to the massive pile on his bed.

It's so much fun!!! The handlers do a great job capturing the moment and keeping everything in theme. It's totally worth the wait and the anxiety!! :rotfl2:
 

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