Orlando Vacation pt 2

Vacation planning is tricky.   I had given the girls the choice of spending more time at Disney or a longer stay at Universal.   Because of money, we couldn’t do multiple days at both theme parks, so they had to make the choice.   I just wanted them to be happy.   That was and is always my ultimate goal.   

Of course, we’re talking about three very unique individuals (four if you count their mother), so finding a satisfying balance was not easy.   I’m still not sure that we found it, but at some point during the week I completely lost the ability to care.   There was no way that all four could be perfectly happy all the time.    I had to let that pipe dream go.   I had to search for the moments of joy in one face (while the others looked on with a mix of boredom or frustration that we weren’t doing what they wanted to be doing).   If all this makes them sound incredibly self-centered and lacking in compassion for their fellow family members, then I’ve succeeded in getting my point across.    

Just kidding.     (Not really)    No, of course I’m kidding.    They are not like that (all the time).

The decision was made to go to Disney’s Magic Kingdom for one day and then three days at Universal Studio and Islands of Adventure.    As the girls have gotten older, the big rides at Universal have gained more appeal.    Universal also has Harry Potter.   Never underestimate the power of the Boy who lived.

After experiencing Disney on Sunday, we had planned three days at Universal, culminating with Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights on Wednesday night.   We were hoping that the lines would be less at Universal than we experienced at Disney on Sunday, but they were still fairly long.    Apparently the entire world has read the guides that suggest going to Orlando in the off-season because eighty percent of the people were International.    Huge families ranging from grandparents on motorized scooters to children in strollers and babies breastfeeding roamed the parks in genial packs that could only communicate with us in smiles or friendly nods.    It was a fascinating smorgasbord of languages passing by at any given time, almost always speaking much faster and more animated than our slow, American drawl.  

That first morning at Universal we made our way to the back of the park, shed a little tear for the missing Amity Island section and the loss of the Jaws ride, to stand on the cobbled streets of Harry Potter’s London, gaze upon Kings Cross, the three decker bus, and find our way into Diagon Alley.    For Ashlyn, the semi-obsessive Potter fan, this was Nirvana.   For the rest of us, it was simply amazingly awesome.  

Better than just walking onto the set of the movies, we were dropped into an alternate Potter reality.  We were constantly struck by the detail and artistry on display.   Dark and spooky and magical all at once; overseen by Gringott’s Dragon that occasionally belched out fire so intense you could feel the heat 40 feet below.   

Shelby and Ashlyn got in the long line to ride “Escape from Gringott’s” while Connie, Taylor and I explored the side streets and dark alleys nearby.   We got the famous “butterbeer” that is in no way beer, but a syrupy sweet butterscotch concoction that I’m glad I tried but will never feel the desire to try again. 

 

Once back together we got in the long line to ride the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross station and platform 9 ¾ to Hogsmeade and the other half of the Harry Potter experience.    They have gone out of their way to make you feel a part of the book and movie.   It’s incredibly immersive and (with apologies to Disney) magical.

At Hogsmeade we had a nice lunch at the “Three Broomsticks” restaurant.   I had heard from a friend that the Fish and Chips were good, but they were actually exceptionally good.  The design of a rustic tavern added to the appeal and you could almost imagine Hagrid, Ron or Hermione walking through at any moment.

Hogsmeade was designed with the cozy appeal of a Christmas card, where despite the Orlando heat; snow graced each roof and smoke drifted from chimneys.   Somehow, just seeing the fake snow made the heat slightly more bearable.   

Once we finally slipped out of Potter world, we stepped into the tropical jungle of Jurassic Park and then on to the streets of the Marvel Hero section.    From ride to ride we wandered, each girl stating a preference for one ride over another, but generally getting along.   Connie and I found an air conditioned bar to sit while they did the big Marvel rides (Hulk, Spiderman, and Dr Doom).    It was a nice break.

Fun as the day was, I was enormously grateful that the Universal parks closed at the reasonable hour of 7pm.   Unaccustomed to the heat or the walking, I was pretty tired.   It’s a shame what office work and a sedentary lifestyle will do to you.   My shin splints had shin splints.

The girls had wanted to spend an evening at our hotel pool, and it was a great night for that.    There was a café and a Pizza Hut poolside, so we enjoyed some pizza and a beautiful sunset.   A perfect end to a pretty nice day.

The next day we were back at Universal early, trying to catch anything we didn’t see the day before because of our Potter mania.  Connie rode many of the rides with the girls and they all agreed that the Harry Potter rides were the best they had ever ridden.   Repeatedly I was told how much I would love them, but they also were pretty sure that the motion would make me sick.   

It’s a bit of a cruel joke that someone who loves movies as much as I do can’t ride most of the movie rides, but if I had any moment of feeling sorry for myself at the park, I was immediately grounded back into reality by one of the numerous children being pushed in wheelchairs throughout the park.   Their faces had no room for self-pity.   Their eyes were wide with wonder at what they could see and not bitterness at what they couldn’t do.    They live their life on the terms they’ve been dealt.   It’s really not a big deal that I can’t ride a few rides at a theme park while on vacation.  

 

That afternoon clouds started to roll in ahead of the forecasted rain.   We slipped out of the park and walked over to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant for an early dinner.   I won’t say how much I ate, but I’m pretty sure I blew out my flip flop and lost my shaker of salt.  

That night, we crashed hard.   As the rain poured outside, sleep took us one by one.   Each drifting off to dreams of dragons and wizards, princesses and heroes.   I was last to go, after watching them sleep for a while.   I was so tired that night that if I did dream, I’m sure I dreamed about sleeping.