Diagon Alley, Escape from Gringotts, Leaky Cauldron, ET, Jimmy Fallon, Twosome, and more. A day spent with the kids at Universal Studios in Florida, and our last morning at Universal Orlando.
catch up:
If you missed the first post about our trip, check out Universal Orlando Arrival Date for more information about our stay at Loews Royal Pacific Resort, pool hopping, and arrival date. And this is where Islands of Adventure Day takes place! Are you going to Disney? You might also like my Disney Tips blog post!
late start
After an early rope drop adventure at Islands of Adventure the day before, we intentionally slowed down our pace on our second day at the park.
What I loved about the rhythm of this trip was that each day felt a little different. After waking up super early the night before to go to Hagrid’s house, a good night’s sleep felt like a luxury.
We had another quick breakfast at the Tuk Tuk Market on the Royal Pacific. At this point we had settled into a routine of coffee, fruit, yogurt, and a few snacks for the boys before we left.
How to ride a water taxi:
universal studios
Unlike Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida does not offer early park admission through Royal Pacific, so we took our time to prepare.
We arrived around 9:30am, about 30 minutes before the store opened at 10am.
The attendance of the audience was not bad at all. We were put into different sections of the park in stages, but everyone seemed to be heading to the same destination as us. It felt like we were all walking together and participating in a 5km race.
Go straight to Diagon Alley
Our plan was simple. Go directly to Diagon Alley before the crowds arrive and ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
We made it to the Express Pass line and thought we had beaten the system. And history repeated itself. About 10 minutes after we entered the line, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that the ride was temporarily closed and everyone was required to exit. After Hagrid was late the day before, we couldn’t believe our luck. We decided to explore Diagon Alley and hope that Gringotts would reopen soon.
Stroll through Diagon Alley
Diagon Alley really exceeded my expectations. Details are everywhere. The show window will move. The signs speak. Hidden corners lead to surprises. This whole area feels like you’ve stepped into a movie. The entrance is also a little hidden, so if you don’t look for it, you might miss it!
The boys used interactive wands to cast spells, including making it rain.
One of our favorite discoveries was Knockturn Alley, a dark and mysterious side street away from the crowds. It was surprisingly dark inside, but exactly as I had imagined from the book.
Mazen spent quite a bit of time exploring the Dark Arts shop Borgin and Burkes. In the end, he chose two shirts as souvenirs. One had the Dark Mark on it and the other had the Deathly Hallows on it.
Escape from Gringotts
Just before I was about to sit down for lunch, I received word that Gringotts had reopened. We immediately stopped what we were doing and ran back. This time I only waited about 15 minutes.
The lines inside Gringotts Bank are incredible. The goblin animatronics and marble bank decorations are very realistic.
This ride was my favorite attraction of the entire trip. I wasn’t sure what Birch would think, as there’s an amazing coaster-esque drop near the beginning. But he loved it! It was exciting, a little scary, incredibly immersive, and one of those rides that had everyone going off with a smile on their face. When it was over, everyone applauded!
Lunch at the Leaky Cauldron
Even at noon, the weather was surprisingly cool. Mazen and I both ordered fish and chips at Leaky Cauldron. This was a real hit.
I also tried the hot butterbeer. It tasted like a butterbeer latte and was perfect for a cold morning.
Afternoon attractions
Turning off our Harry Potter priorities, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the rest of the park. Universal has a much more movie studio feel than Islands of Adventure, which focuses more on rides and themed lands.
Birch isn’t crying. He’s just squinting!
springfield
The Simpsons area was actually very fun to see. There was a Moe’s, a Kwik-e-mart, and the more famous Simpsons location. We rode the rides there. It was like a 3D planetarium dome screen. It’s so much fun!
Mazen especially loved this area. I also tried the non-alcoholic Duff beer. (It tasted like orange Gatorade.)
Birch and I rode in Kang and Kodos’ spinning alien vehicle, Twirl and Harl, while M crushed Duff.
ET Adventure
This was my nostalgic choice. I remember riding the ET when I was little and was excited to see that it still had that charm. The boys loved it too.
Between the forest scents, practical effects, and gentle pace, it was completely different from all the screen-based attractions we had been on. Who wouldn’t love this?
dreamworksland
We breezed through the DreamWorks area. The Trolls coaster was cute and family friendly. Mr. B liked it. Trolls is one of my top kids movies.
mummy’s revenge
I used Child Swap for Revenge of the Mummy because it was pretty scary. The line was surprisingly short and we were in and out. The ride itself was fun, fast, and the flames were scary. It was fun, but it also felt a little outdated compared to Universal’s newer rides.
transformers
The boys liked Transformers much more than I did. For me, it was just too much action happening at once. I don’t like action movies or superhero movies.
“Race Through New York” starring Jimmy Fallon
One of the biggest surprises of the entire trip was Jimmy Fallon. I was told it wasn’t great, but I wanted to do it because I love Jimmy. The entire theater moves in unison as you drive through New York City, and the visuals are incredibly realistic. All three of us had a great time with this production.
minions
While we liked some of the other simulator attractions, this one didn’t really stand out to us. That was fine, but by this point we had already experienced some bigger and more impressive rides. It felt like we just bumped into each other.
Return to Diagon Alley
Before leaving the park, we headed back to Diagon Alley for one last Gringotts ride. This time I used the express pass and the wait was about 20 minutes.
We also tried Butterbeer ice cream and took one last walk around the store, soaking up the atmosphere before saying goodbye.
Reset at hotel
After another full day at the park, we walked back to the Royal Pacific, showered, and tried to look good again.
Please take a look!
Dinner at Twosome Chocolate Emporium
On our last night, we had dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. Originally, I was only able to make a reservation for 7:45 p.m., but I was able to move up my reservation to 7:15 a.m. on the same day.
The building is a huge steampunk-style restaurant filled with elaborate desserts and towering milkshakes. Looks like Willy Wonka!
I ordered a salmon salad and rose wine. The salad was great!
We played a “guess the character” drawing game during dinner.
For dessert, we shared two of their famous milkshakes. (Fair warning: they were $20 each!!) Everything was huge.
Birch ate my cake while I drank my milkshake. By the time I finished eating, I was so full that I could only eat half of it. I really wanted to get them all!
One of the things that Universal really excels at is novelty. There’s always something fun to do around the corner: Butterbeer, interactive canes, themed restaurants, and giant milkshakes.
How we felt after eating lots of sugar:
last morning
I was so glad I caught the mid-afternoon flight so I had time for another adventure before heading to the airport.
Birch and I took a water taxi to Voodoo Donuts for breakfast and then headed to Portofino Bay for a final swim.
This resort really feels like a part of Italy. It was quiet, beautiful and incredibly relaxing.
The only downside was that the pool felt much cooler than the Royal Pacific. Apparently the heater was turned off. Still, the waterslide was fun, so I went down it a few times and then went back.
Once we got back to our room, we packed up our things, checked out, and had our last lunch at Bula Bar & Grille by the pool. I ordered another salad and it felt like exactly what I needed after a few days of theme park meals.
Final impressions of the trip
This trip turned out to be even better than I expected! I was the only adult there, so I was really happy that there were no major problems. That said, having a teenager with her own communication device certainly made it easier than having two younger children with her. The Harry Potter area totally lived up to its hype. If you are a fan of this book, you must make a pilgrimage there at least once in your life.
! There’s one more park to do in the next few years. Epic Universe. I’ll save that for next time 🙂
