Florida, Part 5: Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure

When we were planning this Florida trip, there were a few things we had to negotiate. I really wanted to take the kids to see the World of Harry Potter (which is split over a few of the Universal Parks) and I didn't think we could visit Orlando with the kids at these ages and not go to one of the Disney parks, even though the others besides me are not big amusement ride-lovers (meanwhile, Kelvin wanted to squeeze in a little side day-trip [!] to the Bahamas, which I shot down extremely quickly with only one week here). The kids were really into Harry Potter about a year ago and still enjoy the books/movies and magic spells (avada kedavra, the killing curse, is not infrequently uttered in our house!).

We did settle on spending one day at Universal Studios, including two parks (Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida), which are linked by footpath or (more interestingly) the Hogwarts Express, an attraction in and of itself (Disney's is to come tomorrow). We stayed at a condo with a pool (Blue Heron) which was close (10-20 minutes) from the main theme parks.

Since we have early (5:30 a.m. Iver, even on EST) risers, we took advantage of getting in early ("rope drop" is the term around these parts or right at opening time [8:00 in our case]), and had very short (like 5-10 min!) lines for the first couple of rides. Chat GPT helped Kelvin plan our day based on our interests (and it did a great job!).

We headed first to Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts Castle, which is interesting in and of itself to walk through. We first rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Niall just made the height requirement), which was an immersive experience including soaring (virtually) over quidditch fields, among other scenes (more than just a ride). Iver screamed the entire time, but, while scared, said he still enjoyed it! We had (free) nearby lockers prior to getting in line to store our backpack. 

Sorting Hat (Go Gryffindor!)

We then rode the nearby (and extremely gentle) Flight of the Hippogriff.

Hagrid Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was a highly rated coaster (with the longest line, although our 75 minute estimate was only about 35 minutes), so we jumped into line. However, by the time we reached the start, Iver balked on riding altogether, and Niall ended up being too short (he was actually happy about this!). I rode as a single rider (with a teenager here with her cheer team on a trip) and had a great time on the fast coaster, including one 17-foot drop, and fast speeds.  We could take advantage of "rider-switch" where Kelvin, after watching kids, could hop on without waiting again, but he declined (he doesn't love coasters like I do)! 

I snapped this unicorn photo as we came to a stop at the end of the ride.

We wandered around Hogsmeade village shops for a bit, including sampling the butterscotch-flavored butterbeer, and entering Ollivander's Wand Shop and the sweets shop Honeydukes. (You can purchase a very expensive interactive HP wand and do "spells" in some locations in these parks, but the kids didn't know what they were missing).  We saw lots of people in Harry Potter-themed costumes/shirts. 

Since HP attractions were our priority and we'd basically not had to wait in any long lines, we headed via the Hogwarts Express train, to Kings Cross Station /London, in the other park (Universal Studios, Florida). 

Berth G ("G" for "Gringotts," the attendant told us) 

Fans of Harry Potter know about Platform 9 3/4! 

Knight Bus

We headed through Diagon Alley to Gringott's Bank.

The goblins were busy at work, delighting the kids. I heard (but we didn't try this) that you can even exchange "muggle money" for wizard galleons! 

The Daily Prophet photos really moved!

Escape from Gringotts was our favorite ride-- not too scary or "rollercoaster-y"!

Universal Studios has a bigger kid-friendly section and we calmed down with some gentler rides, almost all of which had very short wait times (<15 min).

Our kids haven't seen E.T. yet, but they will!

Despicable Me had a slight delay (taken care of by the minions) but the ride was fairly tame (although pretty jerky in motion, which I found started to upset my stomach!).

I then solo-rode nearby Revenge of the Mummy, probably the scariest coaster I went on (mostly in the dark, and fast), but when I exited, I almost vomited in the gift shop! I am very prone to motion sickness but I really enjoy roller coasters (surprising as a fun-stopper, eh?!), but I thought avoiding "spinny" rides would be enough to keep me feeling fine (apparently NOT at my age!). 

I really shouldn't have joined in on the Krusty the Clown Simpsons ride, as I had to keep my eyes closed to fight the nausea and then spent the next one and a half hours feeling terrible (but didn't actually throw up), but the kids enjoyed it (they're not very familiar with the Simpsons yet).

We spent enough time on solid ground to where I was feeling well enough to visit some more attractions and so we headed back to Islands of Adventure.

Velociraptor Encounter at Jurassic Park World

We headed to super tame Seuss Landing, but ended up (for unknown reasons) getting stuck mid-rail on the trolley for a few minutes (the staff was very apologetic, however, and gave us each one Express pass to be used on another ride in the park!).

The Cat in the Hat

We finished the day a bit after 4 p.m. in Toon Lagoon, featuring Popeye and our only water ride (Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges). I had to talk Iver into riding with me, as it guaranteed "YOU WILL GET WET," but he understood that "YOLO" and it was "wet but not scary" and was so happy he joined in (it was also about 87 degrees outside).  K and Niall (who chose to abstain), even squirted us from above from Olive Oyl's ship!  We used our complimentary Express passes, and Iver loved it so much he rode again, brave and solo the second time!

Super Soaked but oh-so-happy!

Despite the heat and my crazy motion sickness (did I learn my lesson? Am I just too old for amusement park rides?), we didn't have to battle crazy lines and the day went super smoothly.  I tend to be skeptical of over-commercialized "rackets," but we all really enjoyed the movie magic experience (especially the Wizarding World of Harry Potter-- the kids were at just about perfect ages!), and we had a fantastic day at these two Universal Studios Theme Parks.  

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

- Albus Dumbledore, in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

One Battle After Another

Kelvin is really into movies and Oscars-watching. We used to (pre-kids!) host an Oscars Party, but haven't in years. Kelvin did record this year's Oscars on Sunday, but we only watched a few clips before going to bed.

We awoke to found out that  One Battle After Another, a movie which was filmed partly in our local towns of Arcata and Eureka (overpass by Cal Poly Humboldt, woodsy cabin in Kneeland, phone outside Murphy's Market in Eureka), dominated the 98th Academy Awards, winning SIX Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director [Paul Thomas Anderson, and Best Supporting Actor [Sean Penn]; Leo DiCaprio was actually bested for Best Actor this year by 'Sinners'' Michael B. Jordan. Check out our local LoCo news article here, with additional links describing some of the casting/filming and impacts on local culture (they actually shut down Open Door's North Country Clinic for at least one day because of all the filming madness in Arcata!).

I know many people who enjoyed this film, a fairly violent and twisted political thriller. I did watch it (over about three sessions, a few weeks ago), mainly to be able to connect with Humboldt scenes. The acting was good but the content was not really up my alley.

Nevertheless, I am proud to have had our town (and some local actors-- including Carlos, who sometimes plays pickleball with us), featured in this acclaimed film! Go and watch it (I think on HBO) if you haven't!

Puss in Boots

During my last call weekend, Kelvin took the boys to the movies to see the latest "Puss in Boots" film. 

It was a hit and we've been listening to many of its songs since that time.

Niall, who is very much into dress-up with various Superhero outfits and more, created his own "Puss in Boots" costume from various items in our homes-- bogs boots he loves, hats that were a Christmas gift from Inara, a belt of Kelvin's, shoelace "tail," bubble wand sword, and a hand-made yellow feather. He also now wants a pet cat.

 

FEAR ME, IF YOU DARE! 

Practically Perfect in Every Way (Mary Poppins Returns)

 

I had showed Iver the original 1964 Mary Poppins (one of the favorites of my childhood) a month or so ago, after he seemed interested in some of the songs that I sung for him and subsequently showed him on YouTube. Although we didn't make it through the whole movie, he seemed to really enjoy the characters, plot, and music. I had been hearing about the new Mary Poppins Movie (Mary Poppins Returns) for a couple of weeks, and heard an interview on NPR with the actress Emily Blunt (who plays the eponymous Mary Poppins), which piqued my interest further. The Disney film definitely seemed like one musical I'd want to watch-- sometime.

While Iver amazingly sat through (and still talks about) a local theater production of the Wizard of Oz with me in August when he was three and a half (which is also the only film he's seen from beginning to end in one sitting and one he would watch over and over if we'd let him), we'd never taken him to a movie theater. After hearing that friends had taken their young kids to Mary Poppins Returns and both they and the adults enjoyed it, we decided to make a mama-son date and went to a matinee yesterday. Due to having virtually no uninterrupted free time and a tendency to fall asleep after 8 p.m, I have seen very few movies, either on TV/Netflix or on screen in the last four years, and it was a real treat to go "out" to one!

 

The movie was:

 

While he was a bit impatient during the previews and in the beginning scenes of the movie ("When is Mary Poppins coming?!"), he hopped on my lap, cuddled, and was engrossed the rest of the time. He was a bit frightened in the chase scenes of the cartoon wolf taking away the kids' nursery furniture, but it passed. He asked (mostly whispered) questions throughout to follow the characters, and thankfully, no one in the mostly-empty theater seemed annoyed. The film follows the family of Michael Banks, the child in the original movie, now grown up, widowed and in hard financial times, and in danger of losing his house to the bank. It includes many new characters and a stellar cast, including Michael's three kids (Annabelle, John, and Georgie), as well as bankers (one played by Colin Firth), lawyers, cousin Topsy (played by Meryl Streep), and lamplighter "Jack" played by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Actor Dick van Dyke, the original Bert, makes an appearance at the end, which was amazing as well. It was witty and beautiful. The songs, acting, and choreography were all super(CALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS)!

When the credits were rolling (up), Iver said while watching the screen, "Hey! We're falling!"

 

As Bert sang in the original,

 "You've got to grind, grind, grind at that grindstone, 
Thought childhood slips like sand through a sieve,
All too soon they've up and grown,
And then they've flown,
And it's too late for you to give."

Seeing this sequel was such a special way to spend a couple of hours with my oldest child, now four and growing up fast!