Tuesday, April 26th: more Universal
The wait time for Hogwarts Express, posted on the outside of Kings Cross Station, listed 10 minutes……not bad, we all thought
. Once we scanned our tickets and made our way into the queue, though, we had doubts of the 10 minute wait expectation: in fact, we doubted there would be any wait at all
.
It was one, continuous, non-stop stroll right through the queue, through Platform 9 ¾, and up to the loading area. We didn’t pause even ONCE…..we had timed our boarding just perfectly!
We took some crowd photos…..just to prove it was crazy empty:
Needless to say, we were all in high spirits as we waited for our train to arrive….especially this girl
:
We barely had time to snap a few photos when this came chugging into the station:
ALL ABOARD!
The three of us had a car all to ourselves, which was so cool for Jake’s first Hogwarts Express experience. I’m not a huge fan of being close to strangers at the best of times, and the train cars are pretty ‘cozy’, so it was nice to have room to spread out, get comfortable, and just soak up all the good things about the ride. Before we knew it, we were pulling into Hogsmeade Station and emerging back into the Florida sunshine
. And guess what? We found where all the people were:
Woah!
Tons of bodies all squooshed in together
. The crowds did thin a tiny bit as we made our way into Hogsmeade, but it still felt much busier than Diagon Alley.
The wait for Dragon Challenge was only 10 minutes (quite surprising considering the volume of visitors), so the boys were happy to hand off their loose items to me and enjoy a spin on this coaster. This wasn’t the first time riding….even Jake had experienced in way back on his last visit in 2012…but some things are worth repeating
.
I waited for them in the open-air, covered seating area next to the Dragon Challenge entrance. The sun was SUPER strong so it was nice to get into the shade for a bit. Once they reconnected with me after their ride, I forced them into an obligatory photo…..and Jake was sure they would be trampled by the masses before I got an acceptable shot. As a result, he was sporting his
Just Take The Dang Picture Please face
:
Trust me, he was happier than he looked
.
We poked around a bit around Hogsmeade, checking out some of the awesome little details, but eventually we had enough of all those bodies and decided to move on. I asked the guys if they wanted to hop back on the Hogwarts Express and return to Universal, and they agreed (so much park yet to enjoy!)…..but not before they made one stop. I was told to follow them, and we immediately headed off toward Jurassic Park.
River Adventure was sitting at a 25 minute wait (not surprising given the full sun and high heat of the day….we were headed to the high 80’s or low 90’s by mid-afternoon) but the boys weren’t interested in that right now, anyway. Onward we went, through Jurassic Park, through Toon Lagoon, and right on to Marvel Super Hero Island….well, almost.
You can just guess what’s coming, can’t you?
Steve had a one track mind: there were minions, there was a sledgehammer, and there was a man-card at stake
. We had to wait while a few other folks tried to win their ladies the big prize, but though a couple came close (the low 90’s on the counter) each of them left empty-handed. That was a good sign…..a motivator for my Steve, who would obviously wanted to flex those YMCA-raised muscles and out-swing his competition. He paid the attendant the $6 fee, handed us his glasses and hat, grabbed the hammer and …..
DING! 
It took all three swings to find the “sweet spot” on the target (which, as he whispered to a very fun fellow who was among those who tried unsuccessfully right before him and then stayed to watch him play, was not dead centre, but at the one o’clock placement) but that last attempt was golden. Another minion for my every-growing collection!
Jake, of course, was not to be outdone. While the sledge hammer game was not his game of choice, basketball most definitely was: and guess what was skillfully located right next to the sledge hammer game? He had already eyed the prize he wanted: the Crominion, one of the few minions I didn’t yet have in my collection. Not only was his male pride on the line…..he had to at least equal his father’s efforts, after all
…...he also had the chance to delight his mom with a new and rare minion stuffie.
Yeah, baby!
I never doubted it for a minute!
With two new Minion friends in tow, the guys quickly decided they had worked up an appetite. Rather than wait until we returned to the Studios to dine, we opted to try something new at this park instead:
Lunch at Thunder Falls Terrace is next.
. That will teach us for eating a big meal at IHOP before we get to the park.
.
.
I had hoped maybe it was just having some temporary technical difficulties, but it's been several days now. I'm gutted
.
. She had been happily waving at guests as they walked by until we stopped for pictures, then I think we made her nervous LOL.
Great job, Steve and Jake! 
