To Hogwarts we go---The Hat Returns

[samheatherwhite]

To be perfectly honest I am not really a pool person. I can sunburn looking out the window and I hate it when the water isn't quite warm. This being said I really enjoyed the lazy river and pool at Cabana Bay. There were always plenty of towels and chairs and it was never too crowded. Sam is not a water guy either but that is because he cannot swim. I don't know what his issue is but the man cannot float at all. I've tried to teach him for years with no success. The kids however love the pool and can happily swim all day.
We got back to the hotel easily and quickly and changed into our swim suits.

B loves the sand so we gathered his bucket and shovel for some castle building fun. I brought my book down and read for a while watching B play and G and Sam played in the pool.

B wanted to try out his tube so I ran upstairs and got them. They pool attendants will air them up for you if you want to bring your own. We had room in our suitcase so I bought some from Target for 2$ before we left and planned on giving them away before we came home.
B and I don't like to be splashed so I was pleased to see that there were no areas of the lazy river where you had to go under waterfalls.
After I took a few pics I ran my phone upstairs to put away.

I spied my crew floating around and took a few pics.

They saw me too which made me realize that we needed to be careful with the curtains lol.
B decided to play it really safe by wearing a life jacket and his zebra tube.
After a nice swim we came back to the park to get ready to go back to the park. B's clothes were still a bit damp so he had fresh clothes.

G wanted to eat pasta and B agreed to we decided to hit Louie's for a quick easy dinner. The kids are always famished after they swim so we needed fast.
As we were heading inside the restaurant I realized that I had made a mistake. My glasses were back in the room. I was wearing my prescription sunglasses and it was going to get dark soon. I decided that we could eat first and I'd run get them as soon as I was done.

The line was short so we quickly had our food. B and G and I shared 2 orders of the chicken fettuccine. B won't eat any kind of chicken so he ate one breadstick and some pasta off of my plate and G took the other. The chicken was pretty good and so was the pasta. Not gourmet but definitely filling and warm. The kids ate both breadsticks so I guess they were good as well.
Sam is not a pasta guy but really likes pizza so he got a slice of pepperoni pizza. We still had some coke in our CBBR mugs so we ordered a few ice waters and were set.

Sam ate quickly and insisted on going back to get my glasses while we finished. He ran back to the bus stop while we finished eating. Even with the kids and I sharing 2 meals we had some pasta left over.
Sam ended up being gone forever! It was the one and only time the entire stay that bus service was slow and he said he waited for a long time both coming and going.
We had time while he was gone to watch the entire Pet Show.

The kids both really liked the show. This is a picture of the dog that starred in the Sandra Bullock movie The Proposal.
After the show it began to sprinkle so we power walked to E.T.
This was a bit of a circus because I only had sunglasses and could not see a thing in the dark que area. G thought it was hilarious. The wait was not too long at all and soon we were biking to another planet. B like the ride but was a little nervous in the forest area before the ride starts.
When we got out it was raining fairly hard so we hung out in the gift shop for a while and then darted across to the Spongebob store to wait for Sam.

Sam finally caught up and the rain had died down so we headed to DA to show G how beautiful it was at night.

 

[tortilla24]

Loving your report! And your DD seems like she's down for anything!

 

[samheatherwhite]

Loving your report! And your DD seems like she's down for anything!

Thanks for reading along. G is not scared of anything! She had just turned 4 when we went to Disney and loved Tower of Terror. It is a good thing that she is so tall or she would be disappointed!

 

[samheatherwhite]

Since B hated the dragon so much we entered DA through the exit near Suagrplums.

One of G's goals was to get Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream as often as possible so we headed over there.

The bowls are huge so she and I shared one. B and Sam don't really like Ice Cream so they passed. We both chose a flavor since you are allowed 2 of the hard packed kind. I chose Strawberry Peanut Butter and G wanted the Salted Caramel Blondie. They were both good though we both preferred the Blondie.

The line in there looked really long but moves very quickly.
We heard the Tales of Beetle the Bard show starting so we headed over there. I love the shows in the HP areas but Sam and B aren't huge fans so we don't stop to see them as often as I would like. This was the show with the fountain and I had never seen it so was very pleased with our timing.

I love the style that these are done it. So simple but still really nice. The fountain itself was really pretty.

After the show B and Sam headed back to the hotel while G and I jumped in a short 15 minute line for Gringott's. After our ride we headed out as well.
Up next, Day 2 (monday June, 6)

 

[samheatherwhite]

Day2
One of the things that B was most interested in was a giant pink donut. The boy loves donuts so on the way out of the park the night before we stopped in the Simpson's area to get one for breakfast the next day.

This one was really good and fresh. I was relieved since the one Sam and I bought on our couples trip in November was old and stale. I strongly suggest buying only from the actual stand in the Simpson's area.

These things are huge and very easily fed the four of us for breakfast. I would say that they are about equal to six regular sized donuts.

B especially loved this and it was a fun way to start our second park day.

We were easily up and ready to go for early entry.

G and I headed to FJ while the boys just played around in Hogsmead.

We rode the Buckbeak roller coaster and then G felt the need for another Butterbeer, frozen of course.

The line was nonexistent at the cart near the JP entrance so we quickly had our drink. I was very pleased that B finally decided to try it. He didn't really care for it and never wanted more than a sip or two but I am always so pleased when he is open minded about any new foods.

There was still a little time before the rest of the park opened and B really wanted to explore the area around the Mythos restaurant so that is what we did.

He loves all types of fountains and really enjoyed looking in the water behind the restaurant as there were a lot of fish.

We wanted to hit the Dr. Suess area at regular park opening so we headed that way.

 

[macraven]

Sorry but I have never shared my pink donut ........
Lol



Nice you could share just one with the kids
My mouth always waters when I see picks of it

 

[samheatherwhite]

We try to take turns interest wise with the kids and B's very favorite thing to ride is a carousel so that is where we headed first.

We rode this twice and then moved on and rode the other rides in the Suess area. This park section is totally dead first thing. It was perfect for us.

The Lorax is our favorite so we had to take pictures here.
One of both of the kid's must do items was the Raptor Encounter. My plan was to do as much in the Suess area as possible and head over to JP and be near the front of the line for the first encounter at 10am.
We were able to ride every ride in Suess land and still be second in line for the dinosaur.

B was on cloud nine. For the life of me I cannot figure out how a child that is terrified of a stone dragon has no problem being sniffed by a ridiculously life like raptor. He loved this experience.

The raptor was very loud. The handler wasn't as wild and silly as the time Sam and I did it in November which I think was good for B. He was still really good though. This is such a unique and fun experience that I would highly recommend taking the time to do.

This one was right after the dino tried to eat Sam's hat. B still talks about that.
After our encounter the kids decided that they wanted to explore the Discovery Center until it was time to go to our lunch reservation at Mythos at 11:15.

The kids really love it in here.

G loved that you could see Nedry's shaving cream can.

There was a scientist that had a cart that had examples of dinosaur bones and teeth. He was really good at answering all of B's questions.

Up next, lunch at Mythos

 

[macraven]

You got some great pics with the raptor !

All your pics of the family are super
Great to see the details at suessland

 

[samheatherwhite]

You got some great pics with the raptor !

All your pics of the family are super
Great to see the details at suessland

Thanks so much. I am not a great photographer but I make up for the lack of skill by taking way too many!

 

[samheatherwhite]

Back through Hogsmead we went.

It did not take us long to be seated as soon as the restaurant opened. I hate to sound grumpy but I was a little disappointed with our Mythos experience. I had made reservations since the kids were very excited to show Sam how awesome the inside is. I even mentioned this when we checked in. I also marked our anniversary as a special occasion for this meal which was never mentioned.
We were seated very quickly but in the back room overlooking the water that has very little decor. Plus we were seated right in the center of the room, no view, at a table for 4 that had a table for 2 pushed up to it. Since we were 4 people the hostess moved the 2 top over......about 6 inches.
We were the only people in this room until we ordered our food and then they seated 2 more guests...at the table close enough to touch! The kids could have very easily held hands with the couple next to us. The room never filled up either so it was just the 6 of us nearly the entire meal. It was terribly awkward. A large group was seated in the room we were in as we were getting up to leave. In the grand scheme of things it did not matter but it was totally weird.
We also never saw our waitress after our food was brought to the table. I had to go track someone down to pay our bill.
Anyways on to the food.

The bread service was really good. Warm and soft in the middle and a bit crunchy along the edges.

I ordered the crab cake sandwich and it came with potato salad and a small watermelon salad. This was not my favorite. The cake itself was pretty dry while the potato salad was very wet and mushy. The watermelon salad was interesting but that is not my type of food. Too weird. Sam liked it though.

B got a grilled cheese and french fries. It was fine. Another weird thing was that the waitress brought him crayons and a coloring page, not when we were seated but with his plate. He just ignored it and ate but I can see how with some kids that could have caused trouble.

G got the kids burger which was also fine. She did say later that the burger she ate at Burger Digs was much better. Warmer and it had some seasoning. The mythos burger was very bland.

Sam also got a burger and he said that it was fine but nothing special. I think that it had a different sauce that he didn't really love but he ate it anyways.
I hate to say it but we all left a bit disappointed with this restaurant. I don't know if we'd try it again.
B was starting to droop so he and Sam decided to head back to the room for a break. G wanted to stay and play so I stayed with her.
She wanted another go on the Dueling Dragons so we did that and then she wanted to try a Pumpkin Juice so we bought on of those as well. I am one of those stereotypical pumpkin loving people who looks forward to fall for all the pumpkin flavored treats so this was heavenly to me. G loved it as well. G wanted to go to Diagon Alley without her brother worrying about dragon attacks so we got in line for the HE and drank our juice.

I am always amazed at the little stuff that is so interesting to kids that grown ups don't even notice. One of the things that G really wanted to play with was the little red phone booth in the London area. So we did. Since there was nobody else interested she called the Ministry of Magic seceral times and thought that the rotary dial telephone was awesome. I did have to explain how to use it her first call.

We shopped in DA for a while and G wanted to take a dragon selfie so we did.

Sam texted and said that B had napped and was starting to stir so we decided to grab a snack and head back to the room and meet up with the guys for a swim.
We ran in Sugarplum's sweet shop and bought treats and headed back to CBBR.
While waiting in line to pay I chatted with a friendly wizard who was restocking the shelves. One of the things that I learned that I thought was worth sharing was what treat they sold the most of. He said Chocolate Frogs probably 3 times more than anything else.

 

[schumigirl]

Love your updates!

The big pink donut looks huge in your dd's hands.......lol.........

Pictures are excellent, you can really see how much fun you're all having..........Mythos does seem to be a hit or a miss these days from folks.........such a shame.

Enjoyed catching up........

 

[samheatherwhite]

G and I have been collecting chocolate frog cards since our first trip. We had all of them except Helga Hufflepuff so for our snack we grabbed a chocolate frog, a pumpkin pasty, and some Butterbeer fudge. We brought B back a piece of rocky road fudge.
As soon as we got back to the room G opened up the frog. She found another Slytherin

We left the chocolate frog wrapped up to take home. The kids like it when I chop them up and use them to make froglet chip cookies!
G and I split the pumpkin pasty and though it looks plain it was really delicious. The filling was thick and very cinnamony. I was afraid that it would be dry without whipped cream or a glaze but it didn't need anything else. I will definitely get one of these again and next time I won't share!

Both of my kids love fudge. I usually make at least 5 different kinds every Christmas.

The rocky road was excellent. Very fresh and had a great marshmallow flavor.

The Butterbeer however wasn't our favorite. As weird as it sounds it was dry and crumbly and didn't taste fresh at all which was weird since I could tell when we were buying it that it was very popular. I have now officially tried all 6 versions of Butterbeer treats at Universal and this was my least favorite.
For any one who cares I rank them in the following order:
1. Frozen
2. Warm
3. Ice Cream
4. Potted Cream
5. Regular
6. Fudge
We snacked around and were getting ready to go to the pool when the sky opened up so we hung around in the room for a while.

B was playing with his wand and I remembered to ask him why he didn't want one that could cast spells. I didn't care either way as long as he was happy but I was curious.
He said that since he was little and didn't know what he was doing he didn't want a real one because he might accidentally hurt one of us with a spell gone wrong. It was so sweet!

It was really pouring down!

 

[schumigirl]

Never tried the pumpkin pasty?? Intriguing.

I heard someone else say they weren't overly keen on butterbeer fudge........doesn't really appeal to me at all.......but the rocky road if it has a strong marshmallow flavour.......I'd like it I think!

Oh bless your son with his wand comment! How cute..........yep, that is heavy rain!

 

[samheatherwhite]

Never tried the pumpkin pasty?? Intriguing.
It was really good, very similar to pumpkin pie.

I heard someone else say they weren't overly keen on butterbeer fudge........doesn't really appeal to me at all.......but the rocky road if it has a strong marshmallow flavour.......I'd like it I think!
We brought several more flavors home to taste and the rocky road was hands down the winner!

Oh bless your son with his wand comment! How cute..........yep, that is heavy rain!

Thank you, he is such a sweet guy!

 

[bethbudke]

Really enjoying your trip report! We are in the planning stages for our first trip to Universal parks since they opened the Harry Potter areas, and your pictures are really fun to look at. Also, your kids are adorable - I love how well they seem to get along!

 

[samheatherwhite]

Really enjoying your trip report! We are in the planning stages for our first trip to Universal parks since they opened the Harry Potter areas, and your pictures are really fun to look at. Also, your kids are adorable - I love how well they seem to get along!

Thank you for joining in. If you think of any questions I'd be happy to try and answer them.
My kids get along really well most of the time though they do have their moments.

 

[samheatherwhite]

Once the rain died down we decided to try out the other pool at the hotel. The one with the water slide. Sorry I don't have any pictures but I didn't want to take my phone down in case the rain started back up.
It was a good thing because it started sprinkling again soon after we got in the water.
I don't know if was due to the rain or what but the water in that pool was way too cold for me. The kids played for little bit in the rain. G tried the slide and then we decided to go get changed since our snack was wearing off.
One of the places that Sam wanted to make sure that we tried was Maragritaville so that is where we headed.
By the time we got to the bus stop it was pouring. Since there was no lightening we decided to just roll with it and we put on our ponchos and headed out.

I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a side salad to share with B. I was really impressed with both burger which was great and with how big and fresh the side salad was. B ate most of it but what I tasted was good.

G ordered the shrimp with apples and caramel from the children's menu. There were a ton of shrimp on that plate. They were also really good. Some kid's menu food is lower quality than the adult food and this was not at all. Sam and I both stole some shrimp from G and they were really nicely done.

Sam got the coconut shrimp and he really liked them as well. We did laugh at the fact that G got more shrimp than he did, but he ate her leftovers and didn't leave hungry.
We all really liked our choices and we would definitely eat there again.
It was sprinkling lightly so we headed to the park for a little while. Our timing was really lucky. G needed a bathroom break so she and I headed to the restrooms near Mel's Diner while Sam and B watched the Transformers. As G and I exited the bathroom a man tapped me on the shoulder and offered me his skip the line passes. He said that his family needed to leave and to enjoy them. I thanked him and me and G excitedly met the boys to decide what to ride.
To me it was a no brainer, The Minion ride had a terrible wait and B loves minions so we hopped in the express Pass Que.
The wait was listed as 75 minutes and we walked straight into the preshow room.

Of course we got behind a group who would not move all the way down and the poor team members were trying and trying to explain. I offered to just go around them. The tm was so relieved. Bless their hearts, that has to be so frustrating.
Soon we were minions. We really enjoyed the ride and then we had to look at everything in the gift shop. There wasn't a minion in the dance party area and the kids were getting tired so we chose to head out. We did cruise through the large gift shop near the exit on the way back.
Up next Wednesday -another full park day

 

[samheatherwhite]

Ok, I just noticed that I said that our next day was Wednesday but I jumped ahead of myself a bit. The day was actually Tuesday, June, 7th.
After 2 full park days we decided to just sleep in and not worry about early entry. B slept maybe 15 minutes later than on the previous days so we got up and ready to start our day.

Unfortunately it was raining pretty heavily. The kids were raring to go so we donned our rain gear and headed out.

When we got down near the bus stop we saw that the line of people waiting for the bus in the rain was all the way back to the lobby entrance doors. That held no appeal that early so we decided to get breakfast from the Bayliner Diner and hope that the rain slowed and the buses caught up.
We realized that we had left our CBBR cups upstairs so Sam ran up and got them while I got the kids and myself some food.

We decided on 3 orders of the kid's waffle plate and a side of bacon to share. Both my kids could eat their weight in bacon!
The meal came with strawberries and they offered to put whipped cream or powdered sugar on them and/or the waffle and a bottle of water each.
This was really good. The waffle was warm and tasted fresh. The strawberries were ripe and the kids inhaled the bacon.
Sam wen through and got an order of biscuits and gravy and a side of bacon and potatoes. I think that he just ordered ala carte.
He enjoyed his food as well and the good news was that the rain had slowed down to almost nothing and the bus lines was empty.
I think that we just had spectacularly bad timing and with the short stop for breakfast everything was just right and we still hit the turnstiles during the last bit of EE.

Since we had already done EE twice we just took our time.

We headed left towards the Marvel area and ran into Woody Woodpecker.

B saw this sign and proceeded to mortify his sister by growling loudly and doing his very best Hulk impression.
G wanted to try the Pteranodon Fliers and I knew that the line just grows throughout the day so we were headed that way. B is not big on heights so I knew that he wouldn't like this one and I was keeping my fingers crossed that G wasn't too tall. The kids enjoyed stopping along the way and taking fun pics.

I was hoping for a Kong soft opening while we were there. I was surprised when we walked around the corner and the walls were down.

That area looked so cool and was so beautifully done.
We entered the Jurassic Playground and G and Sam headed to the fliers while B and I explored the caves again. He loved doing this and could have very happily played there all day. The other two both loved the ride but like I've often heard they wished that it was longer.
G wanted to go again and since there was no wait this time I went while the guys explored. It was really cool.

 

[Lynne G]

Great pictures and the kids look so happy. Nice report, thanks.

 

[schumigirl]

Being able to take your time and not rush around certainly makes for a fabulous trip........it shows in your pictures how much fun you all had.

Love Margaritaville!!!