juneaubiscuits
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2015
Thank you... although I have a lot more Universal photos, I think I'll stop here and head on to the WDW portion!Fantastic photos! Can't wait to see your Disney pics.
UPDATE! Going back and continuing my report on our Universal Studios portion of the trip! Here we go:
After watching the shows, I'm pretty sure it was close to lunch time (according to my growling stomach). I'm not even sure if Celestina Warbeck and the Frog Choir were in the same parks...LOL! I did do a bit more shooting of Diagon Alley. Again, amazed at the detail and overall immersive experience. Disney definitely needs to keep a close eye on the rear view mirror as Universal gained a lot of ground with Potter and company.
Daytime @ Diagon Alley Universal Studios Orlando 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Daytime @ Diagon Alley Universal Studios Orlando 04 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Daytime @ Diagon Alley Universal Studios Orlando 05 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Eternelle's Elixer of Refreshments @ Diagon Alley 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Eternelle's Elixer of Refreshments @ Diagon Alley 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Pushing the Pumpkin Juice @ Diagon Alley by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Bowman E. Wright Blacksmith @ Diagon Alley by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Diagon Alley may have been the most crowded area of all the parks, including Disney, that we visited during the Christmas season. Partly due to it being relatively new, but more likely, it's just an awesome place. As crowded as the outside was, we found the shops even more congested. I went in and turned right around at Ollivanders'. Erin, who was with our travel group, did manage to purchase a couple of wands. I saw lots of folks using their wands to activate stuff like water, so they're very interactive. I would have gone nuts over something like this as a kid (and spent a fortune). Fortunately, as an adult, I spend my money on stuff like camera gear now..hah!
Wand Testing @ Diagon Alley by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Daytime @ Diagon Alley Universal Studios Orlando 07 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Daytime @ Diagon Alley Universal Studios Orlando 06 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
The Hopping Pot by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Hogwart's Instructor @ Universal Studios by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Shop details @ Diagon Alley 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Hogwart's Emblem by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Now where was I? Yes....LUNCH! We decided to have our meal at Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeades so we jumped aboard the Hogswart Express to head towards Islands of Adventure. Focused on food, the group headed straight into the long lines for grub. Three Broomsticks, like everything else Harry Potter, was a sight to behold. The detailing in the window and food displays were visual feasts. The lines, although long, moved briskly but giving us just enough time to decide on the menu choices. Sue went with the Fish & Chips, while I opted for the Shepard's Pie with Garden salad. This was one of the few times our entire group was together. Besides us were the other two couples of our traveling party - Colleen, Kelly, Erin and Jesse. Erin is the daughter of Coll and Kel, and her and Jesse were married a couple of months earlier. This was sort of like their honeymoon. We teased the newlyweds about having to spend their wedding retreat with parents, but they laughed and said they didn't mind.
Due to the big crowds, I told Sue I was going to see if I can find a place to sit. I was a little worried about finding a table to accommodate all six of us, but quickly found out that workers would assign you an area once you appeared with your trays of food...way cool! After picking up our order, we headed to our table and enjoyed a relaxing lunch!
Three Broomsticks Dining Display @ Hogsmeade 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Three Broomsticks Dining Display @ Hogsmeade 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Three Broomsticks Interior @ Hogsmeade 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Three Broomsticks Interior @ Hogsmeade 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Three Broomsticks Interior @ Hogsmeade 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Fish and Chips @ Three Broomsticks in Universal's Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Shepherd's Pie w/ Garden Salad @ Three Broomsticks in Universal Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Sue, Kelly, Colleen, Jesse, & Erin @ Three Brooms in Hogsmeade 01 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Islands of Adventure is kind of a conundrum to me. I love the concept, although "Islands" seems to have little to do with the overall theming. Perhaps Universal was hesitant to call it Lands of Adventure, fearing a lawsuit from the Mouse House. When I think of Islands of Adventure, I imagine a port of calls similar to Disneysea with a strong nautical theme present. What IOA actually comes across as is a mishmash of licenses and available properties without a strong vision and cohesive focus. Marvel, Dr. Seuss, Dudley Doo Right...and now Harry Potter, all get thrown together into one big mumbo jumbo of a park! The shifts in characters and themes are jarring at times and it works against the immersive environment that Disney pulls off so well. However, Universal does an admirable job when you're in a specific area, whether it be superheroes or wizards. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy IOA...but I just can't shake the feeling that they missed the mark a bit.
After we finished eating, we headed towards the Marvel section. Kelly and I are both big comic geeks (or at least were, I pretty much stopped reading/collecting several years back). I actually bought the 1st appearances of Wolverine and the X-Men (not the original Kirby run, but the new group featuring Storm, Colossus, and Wolvie) at the newsstand, so seeing these comic characters explode into the mainstream has been interesting.
Our wives let us do our nerdy thing and take photos with the various heroes and villians. My only regret is not doing a photo op with Captain America, my all time favorite Marvel character.
Rogue, Kelly, Len, & Storm @Universal Studios Orlando 2015 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Green Goblin, Len, Dr. Doom, & Kelly @ Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Kel, Erin, Jesse, & Sue take a ride @ Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
The photo below of Wolverine is with another visitor. I have no clue who she is, but it's the only photo of Wolvie I snapped as he was leaving.
X-Men's Wolverine 01 @ Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Captain America @ Islands of Adventure 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
X-Men's Rogue 06 @ Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Doctor Doom's Fear Fall @ Islands of Adventure by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Universal Studios Islands of Advetnure 10 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
The shops in this area featured a ton of Marvel junk..er, merchandise. Very cool theming and on par with Disney.
Marvel Superheroes Store @ Islands of Adventure 05 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Marvel Superheroes Store @ Islands of Adventure 02 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Marvel Superheroes Store @ Islands of Adventure 03 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
Marvel Superheroes Store @ Islands of Adventure 04 by Juneau Biscuits, on Flickr
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