Day 24: Universal Studios

We were up at 7 again today, so that we could be at the gates of Universal Studios when it opened at 9. The goal today was to fit in all of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is part of Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Everything else after that would be icing on the cake.

Here's the thing about Universal Studios: There are two separate parks, Islands of Adventure and the eponymous Universal Studios Florida. The parks are connected by Universal Citywalk, an overblown circus of neon signs, themed restaurants and brand-name shops. But, of course, each park charges a separate admission fee. Since the point of our visit was to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter -- a corner of Islands of Adventure that imagines Hogwarts and Hogsmeade (in the books, the magical town down the street from Hogwarts) -- it would have made sense just to buy tickets for that particular park.

But here's where they got us: This summer, Universal Studios Florida will open Diagon Alley, a rendering of the London high street that includes Gringott's Bank, The Leaky Cauldron pub, and Flourish and Blotts bookstore. Hogsmeade, in Islands of Adventure, and Diagon Alley, at Universal Studios, will be connected by the Hogwarts Express train, and, of course, visitors to the parks will need to buy tickets to both theme parks to be able to explore both Harry Potter worlds.

When I ordered Universal Studios theme park admission tickets in May, the grand opening for Diagon Alley was slated for "Summer 2014." They couldn't be more specific than that. But bloggers in the know reported that there was a 90 percent chance that Diagon Alley would be open by the last week in June. So I took that chance, and, at great expense, ordered tickets for both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. And, inevitably, two days ago, Universal Studios announced that Diagon Alley's grand opening will be July 8. Until then they'll have a soft opening for media and guests by special invitation only. Poop.

Since I was overlooked when they were putting together the invitation list, once again I'm forced to point out that a major theme park has failed to recognize the power and influence I wield with this blog through its 13 (actually, now 14!) followers.

So we got to Islands of Adventure when it opened, and, thinking that we were going to beat the crowds, we beat a path through Seuss Landing and The Lost Continent, straight to Harry Potter Land. But everyone visiting the park today had the exact same idea. Hogsmeade was packed with guests. Crazy-packed. And the line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey -- a virtual adventure ride in which guests soar above Hogwarts, narrowly escape a dragon attack and cut through a Quidditch match -- was already 60 minutes long. But figuring that the wait would only get longer, we queued up with everyone else. Since most of the line winds through Hogwarts Castle itself, through hallways and classrooms done up like scenes from the films, the time passed quickly, and the ride itself was well worth the wait.











We also rode the Flight of the Hippogriff coaster, and then Keith took Charlie and Nat on the high-speed Dragon Challenge roller coaster. (Clare and I sat that one out, because it goes upside-down.) We enjoyed a little show on a courtyard stage, bought an immense solid chocolate frog at Honeydukes Candy Store, and ate lunch at Three Broomsticks. By then, we had pretty much seen all there is to see in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the rest of Islands of Adventure.

This little trolley in Suess Landing was totally my speed, especially when compared to the Incredible Hulk roller coaster (see below), which totally did me in. I am getting SO OLD.

I was done after this ride. No more roller coasters for me, ever. 

We got soaked on the Jurassic Park River Adventure.

A storm blew in right as we were leaving Islands of Adventure, so we ducked into the closest restaurant -- the Hard Rock Cafe -- for dinner. By the time we were done with our meal, the skies had cleared and, since we already had admission tickets, we bopped on over to Universal Studios Florida and checked out the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, a 3-D ride; the Twister attraction, based on the 1996 film; the Revenge of the Mummy indoor coaster; and Men In Black Alien Attack.

If nothing else, our visit to Universal Studios certainly put yesterday's outing to Legoland into perspective. The lavish staging and the extreme rides make Legoland seem like kiddie korner at the county fair (with absolutely no disrespect to Legoland, since our family, and Charlie, especially, had a ball there, and, in fact, Legoland literature clearly states that the park is geared for kids ages 6-12).

But when we compare Universal Studios to Disney World, it's painstakingly obvious that Universal doesn't now, and never will, come close to replicating the Disney Experience. Disney has a certain charisma, a certain confidence and a certain appeal that keep it fresh and exciting for generations of visitors. And exactly how do they do that?  Meanwhile, the main attractions at Universal Studios Florida are based on "The Mummy," "Men In Black," and "Twister" -- films that were moderately interesting and innovative when they were released -- what, 20 years ago? -- but that today have all the sophistication and allure of "Family Ties" reruns.  One of the centerpieces at Islands of Adventure is called Toon Lagoon and features artwork from comics like Cathy, Shoe, Family Circus, and Marvin. Remember Marvin, that big baby with the red hair and the diaper? Seriously? As I strolled past those attractions, I thought, "How is this exciting or relevant to anyone in 2014?"



And while Disney parades around a cast of characters including Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Snow White, Captain Jack Sparrow and a hundred more, Universal Studios has meet-and-greets with SpongeBob Square Pants and the characters from the movie "Hop."

Toward the end of the day, we sat in on a concert at Universal Studios called The Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue, featuring Halloween monsters performing '80s pop hits. As a musician -- and a former theme-park musician at that -- Keith was floored by the performers' top-notch talent. But I felt so guilty watching these guys: at the top of their games, but still having to dress up as monsters to do the 7:15 p.m. Beetlejuice act in front of a marginally enthused crowd. And I couldn't help but wonder how Disney puts on an old-timey pioneer-themed musical revue set in a saloon on the frontier, and somehow that seems more fresh and exciting than vampires covering Bangles songs. Universal Studios' old stuff seems stale and dated, and Disney's old stuff is classic and timeless.  How do they do that?



This is not to say that we did not enjoy our day at Universal Studios, which is truly spectacular in size and scale and outright outrageousness. Of course, the Long family had an absolute ball. It's just interesting to contrast the park with Disney World, which has that certain je ne sais quoi that I think all theme parks aspire to. I would be fascinated to read a behind-the-scenes account of Disney World, to find out exactly how they carry that off.

Toward the end of the evening, while Keith took the kids on a coaster ride, I noticed that the back corner of the theme park was roped off for a special invitation-only preview of Diagon Alley. As I stood on the wrong side of the security rope -- all schlubby and damp from sweat and rain, and smelling like feet and old cheese -- I watched these spiffily dressed A-listers mingle, and I seized on the idea that I have failed my family, since I am not the kind of important journalist (actually, I'm not any kind of journalist) who can score some invitations to a Harry Potter media event. I sullenly obsessed on that notion for a bit, then managed to let go of it, as the kids tumbled out of Men In Black: Alien Attack, all giggly and sweaty and exhausted and happy after a long, full day.