Universal Orlando: Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade

I mentioned in an earlier post, that while we were in Orlando, we stayed at Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which had an awesome perk of allowing early access to guests to Universal Studios. Again, I highly recommend this hotel, not just for the perks, but because it was within walking distance, was very clean, and the pool(s) were awesome. 

DIAGON ALLEY 

The first morning in the park, we were at the gate right at opening and went straight for Daigon Alley and the Gringott's ride. The detail work in the bank itself was really awesome, the goblins working as 'tellers' were very lifelike and would occasionally glare at you. The ride was a mix between virtual and rollercoaster, and it was really, really good. 

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour where you could get various ice cream flavors including butterbeer, earl gray @ lavender, and clotted cream. 

Olivander's Wand Shop, where you can experience someone choosing their wand - or rather, the wand choosing them. 

The Hopping Pot, where you can get all of your butterbeer needs (they have hot, cold, and iced - all of them are delicious!) 

We also went to Weazley's Wizarding Wheezes, which is the shop opened by Fred and George Weasley with Harry's Triwizard Tournament winnings. The shop looks nearly identical to how it's portrayed in the movies - down to the disappearing rabbit under the hat and the unicycling Umbridge going across the ceiling. 

What I didn't know before going to Diagon Alley, is that you can also visit Knockturn Alley and Borgin and Burkes shop. It was pretty creepy/cool - not to mention that the vanishing cabinet is there and you can hear the bird tweeting inside it. 

There are tons of hidden gems inside Diagon Alley, including props from the actual movies, talking mirrors, and even a goblin from Gringotts that will answer your questions. If you get one of the interactive wands, there are actually places throughout Diagon Alley where you can cast spells and see some fun things happen! 

The thing we waited forever to see was the dragon blowing fire. She blows it at totally random times, and we never did see it until our very last day there. It actually made the whole area of the park get warm. The dragon perched on top of the bank alone is enough to make you feel awed, but breathing fire really takes the cake.

HOGSMEADE

Of course we rode the Hogwart's express (we actually rode it from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley at the end of the day) and the Forbidden Journey ride in Hogwarts.

Riding the Forbidden Journey was even more magical than the first time because the wait was only FIFTEEN MINUTES rather than the 2 hours it took when we went in 2014. Don't ask me how we got so lucky. We also rode the Dragon Challenge several times, I never could decide whether the Chinese Fireball or the Hungarian Horntail was the better one.

We didn't eat in The Three Broomsticks, only because we were planning on eating in the Leaky Cauldron, and the food was essentially the same. We DID however, drink tons of butterbeer while walking through Hogsmeade. We rode the Flight of The Hippogriff and got to walk by Hagrid's cabin. I thought the ride was a 'kiddie coaster' but it was actually really fun. And of course we stopped by all the fun shops like Dervish and Banges, Filches Imporium of Confiscated Goods, and got us some yummy treats at Honeydukes shop.

We had an amazing trip, and I can't wait to go back (although Derek says it will be several years). Have you ever been to the Wizardign World of Harry Potter? What was your experience?

Universal Orlando: Surviving Three Days in a Theme Park

Last week, my husband, myself, and two of our friends took a trip to Orlando and spent three days visiting Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Yes, Derek and I have visited Islands of Adventure before, but we only spent about 6 hours there + it was raining, so I felt like we didn't really get to have the experience, you know? This time we bought tickets for both parks, because duh we (I) wanted to see the new(est) Harry Potter park: Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. I'm writing a full post on both parts of the Harry Potter experiences later, but this is essentially how we survived three full days in Universal Orlando: 

EAT:

For the most part, we ate breakfast and lunch at our hotel (except one day) so we didn't eat at too many restaurants, but here are the ones we tried:

○Cowfish (burger/sushi fusion restaurant) 3.5/5 Stars

The sushi was great, but if you're really hungry for a big 'ole burger, don't get the binto box because the burger is smaller than a Krystal burger. I got a whole roll to myself and split a roll with Derek and it was plenty, but he got the box and the burger was just too small to fill him up. 

○Vivo's Italian restaurant 3/5 stars

Also located in the CitiWalk, it had a good atmosphere but the food was just 'meh' in regards to good Italian food. 

○The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley 4/5 Stars

The food was good and it was essentially the same menu as The Three Broomsticks with traditional English dishes like bangers and mash, meat pies, and fish & chips. The only reason it didn't get a full 5 stars is because my drink (apple cider) was very watered down! 

SLEEP:

We stayed at Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which is actually owned by Universal. I truly believe that this is the sole reason we were able to have a fantastic trip because (1) we were able to utilize the walking path to/from the park and avoid the craziness that is on site parking; and (2) we got to go into Universal Studios (AKA Diagon Alley) a WHOLE HOUR EARLIER than all the muggles other people.

The hotel itself was really nice. We shared a room with our friends, complete with living area and kitchenette with a fridge and microwave. We ate two meals (usually breakfast and lunch) per day at the hotel so not only did it save us time, it saved us money. Oh, and the pool area was out of this world. Complete with zero entry pool, a lazy river, and a huge waterslide. I really couldn't asked for a better hotel. 

PARKS: 

Universal Studios 

Other than Diagon Alley, my personal favorite part of the park was Hollywood - where we ran into Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball. There was a Hollywood Horror Makeup Show which was mainly just a corny/funny skit, not much makeup. We rode essentially every ride in the park, but my favorites were: Revenge of The Mummy (an indoor rollercoaster), Dispicable Me Minion Mayhem, and Men in Black Alien Attack.

My least favorites were Shrek 4D, ET Adventure, and Terminator 2 3D, but they were all still enjoyable. We actually ended up riding The Mummy four times because the lines were always short for that one! 

Islands of Adventure

It was getting pretty hot while we were there during the day so on our second day, we rode two water rides: Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls and Jurassic Park River Adventure. I was really impressed with the Jurassic Park ride, even though we got totally soaked. Other fun rides were Dr. Doom's Fearfall and The Amazing Adventures of Spider Man. 

SURVIVAL:

○Bring your own water. There were four of us and we had two Camelbak's between us and they lasted us several hours before losing their chill. They were also convenient for carrying snacks and cell phones. 

○Wear comfortable shoes/clothes. This is pretty much a 'duh' point, but one evening I wore flip flops and literally thought my legs were going to fall off.

○Have a game plan. Know where you're going, and in what order (for the most part) so you don't find yourself wandering around. We used apps like Wait Times to help us decide if it was going to be worth it to wait in line or find a different ride/attraction to visit. 

○Take frequent breaks. This was where our hotel came in handy - we were able to walk back to the hotel (about a mile-long trail), eat lunch, and lounge by the pool for several hours before heading back to the parks. If you have the opportunity to do this, it is SO WORTH IT because you miss the peak times between 11 AM and 5 PM. On our first day, we were at the park from 6:30 PM to 10 PM and barely had any wait time for rides. We weren't so lucky on the second and third day, but the evenings were significantly less crowded. 

○If you don't mind your party getting split up a little, I suggest utilizing the "single rider" lines. When we rode Dr. Doom's Fearfall, three of us used the single rider line. We all ended up riding at the same time, in different seats, and it cut our wait time from 30+ minutes to less than five.

What is your favorite thing to do at theme parks? How do you survive multiple days without getting burned out?

What we did in Las Vegas

In September, my husband had a work function in Las Vegas and when we found out in June that he would be attending, I knew there wouldn't be anything that could stop me from tagging along. I've always wanted to visit Las Vegas, not for the gambling but for the shows! And the people! So far, I would say my best people-watching experience was in Las Vegas. We went on a budget (with a few pre-chosen splurges) and were still able to have an awesome time!

Here's a rundown of our trip:

FOOD

Harrie's Bagelmania ($)

This was hands down the best place to get breakfast in Las Vegas. We didn't discover it until our second morning (the first morning we ate brunch at a bistro in Caesar's palace) but I was so glad we did. We were able to get so much food for less than half the price of a typical restaurant on the strip. They had 15 bagel choices plus a full array of traditional breakfast options (eggs, bacon, etc). This place is off the beaten path so if you didn't bring/rent a vehicle it may be difficult to get to, but it is definitely worth it.

Michael Mina ($$$)

This restaurant is definitely NOT somewhere I'd eat on any regular occasion, but we knew we wanted to have a nice dinner one night (our first choice was Gordon Ramsay Steak but we couldn't get reservations) to celebrate our anniversary and Derek's upcoming birthday. the drinks were good and the food was better - the only thing I wish was that the restaurant would have had views of the Bellagio fountains.

The rest of our meal experiences were neither here nor there, we usually just picked the nearest place when we started getting hungry. We really didn't have a bad dining experience during the entire trip.

FUN

Old Las Vegas/Freemont Street (free)

Freemont Street at night is a definite must-see! They have the worlds largest LED screen, which actually goes over the street, that has a light show every hour after dark until about midnight. There are several restaurants and bars to choose from, but the real entertainment is in the people and street performers.

You can actually (kind of) see the light show above our heads.

We bought a couple of beers from a street vendor and walked the length of the street a few times and had a blast. There's also a zipline going down the length of the street if you're in to that. We skipped it, but it looked like the people on it were having tons of fun.

Poolside lounging (usually free at your hotel)

Ever since the show Rehab aired on TV, I wanted to spend a day poolside in Las Vegas. While we were at the Planet Hollywood pool rather than the Hard Rock, and we didn't have our own cabana, it was the perfect afternoon to spend by a rooftop pool with margaritas in hand.

Zumanty by Cirque du Soleil ($$)

My one requirement while in Las Vegas was to see a Cirque show. Originally we were going to see Mysterie, which is more of the traditional acrobatic show, but we ended up choosing Zumanity. All you need for this show is an open mind and maybe a drink or two before hand. Without giving too much away, it's a mix between a comedy, a drama, and a drag show. and it was easily the highlight of our trip. If you're not scared of seeing a nipple or two, and have a sense of humor a little on the crude side, then this show is definitely for you.

Having strangers take your picture is always so awkward.

Bar at Times Square in New York New York ($$)

Deuling pianos. That's all there is to say about that.

OTHER MUST SEE/DO:

-visiting the Las Vegas sign at the end of the strip (pictured below). There's usually someone there that will take your photo for a small tip.

-walking through the casinos - our favorites were Ceasar's Palace and the Wynn (the flower gardens were AMAZING at The Wynn)

-the Bellagio fountain show

-riding to the top of the Stratosphere. I actually didn't get to do this, but my husband did with his coworkers - one of them even did the bungee drop from the top!

We had an awesome trip, but I feel like there was so much we didn't get to do. There will definitely be a return trip in our future, with more time for exploring and less flying next to two dudes who didn't sleep (or shower) prior to boarding the plane.

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? What was at the top of your list of things to do and see?

Canadian Vacation Part 2: Cabin Life

Canadian Vacation Part 1
I'm very fortunate in that I married in to a family that has access to a quaint little cabin on Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Before I started dating Derek, I had never heard of Shuswap Lake, nor had I any desire to visit British Columbia. Well, let me just say that I was soooo silly for ever thinking that it wouldn't be worth  my time (not that I actually thought that, really it was just that the thought never crossed my mind at all).
Back to the point. These cabins have been in my husband's family for years. They were built by his great-grandparents, his great-grandfather actually passed away while visiting them, and thus this is where he is also buried. His wife, Derek's great-grandmother, continued to spend her summers at the cabin every year until her health declined. My father-in-law grew up visiting Shuswap Lake nearly every summer, and this place is very near and dear to his heart.
We mainly spent our time relaxing, reading, and boating. I woke up every morning, and drank my coffee overlooking this beautiful lake, and then proceeded to spend the rest of the day with my nose in a book and my toes in the water. It was really one of the most relaxing vacations I've ever been on.

The cabins viewed from the lake shore.

The interior of the cabin where we stayed. The second cabin is in the process of being remodeled, so we all stayed in one.

As you can see, it was pretty small!

There weren't many piers or docks on the lake, because of this & frequent storms, boats are usually anchored away from the shore and you got to them via canoe.

At the neighbor's annual Saskatoon Pie gathering.

I still can't get over how (almost) perfect the weather was. In Alabama in July, I can hardly stand to be outside for more than 10 minutes at a time due to the miserableness of it being 90+ degrees plus 90% humidity. Nearly all week long it was sunny and mild, and we only had two days of gray skies and one serious thunderstorm. It almost convinced me that I needed to relocate - but thinking about the winter months kept me grounded.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. And for those of you wondering about the cabin, yes those are the "bedrooms" at the back of the first picture. No, there weren't any doors, curtains, or other forms of privacy. Yes, it was quite awkward to spend five nights like that with your in-laws. Also, the bathroom was outside.
What's one unexpected place you've traveled that you ended up loving?

Canadian Vacation Part 1: Lake Louise

Last week I vacationed to Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, Canada. To say it was (almost) the most perfect vacation ever would be an understatement. It wasn't a vacation where we were going, going and doing all the things. It was a vacation of late rising, coffee sipping, relaxing days full of books and sun and the great outdoors. While we did spend the majority of our time in BC, we decided to fly in to Calgary, Alberta and drive through the Canadian Rockies with a stop at Lake Louise in Banff National park. I only have one thing to say about that decision: the extra six hours and landing at 0130 and getting only 4 hours of sleep was TOTALLY WORTH IT because Lake Louise is absolutely gorgeous. There's a reason it's the number one photographed landmark in the Rocky Mountains. See below for evidence.

The drive in was almost as pretty as the Lake itself.

I was that weirdo taking photos through the windshield of the car.

This is standing at the end of the lake where the Chateau Lake Louise is located - behind my head are the glaciers that feed the lake.

We hiked from one end of the lake to the other - about two miles one way - and the views were amazing. It was a flat hike, so not to strenuous, but a good distance nonetheless. I had dreams of hiking to the top of that mountain pictured in the far right of the photo above, but due to some pretty crappy traffic that put us several hours behind, we weren't able to do it. 

If you're planning on visiting the Canadian Rockies or any part of western Canada, I highly recommend making a pit stop at Banff National Park along the way! I really wish we would have made plans to stay a night and spend some more time in the park, because just the one day already has me itching to go back!

Vacation to the Georgia Coast

I never can decide how I feel about "recapping" my vacation on my blog. But then again, I usually enjoy reading about other peoples' vacations (if they're written in an non-boring way) so I reckon I'll share mine. Also, I want to remember this trip and all the little things that happened during it and this is my blog and I do what I want.

 

 

We decided earlier in the year that we wanted to take a small vacation/trip for my birthday, which also happened to be Easter weekend - it worked out because it gave us a three day weekend! Neither of us  had vacationed in Georgia and we threw around a few ideas (Savannah, Tybee Island, Jekyll Island, ect) but ultimately decided on Jekyll Island because it seemed to be the most "relaxing" of our choices - it's the smallest of the coastal islands (less than 6,000 acres) and it's the majority of the land is preserved as part of the national forest.
 

Where we stayed: Villas by the Sea. These were condos that were...well, by the sea. We chose these because we wanted something a little more than a hotel room with only a bed and a mini-fridge, in case we wanted to cook or something (we didn't but it was still nice having a little more space to kick back.)
 

What we did:  

On the first day we rented bikes and literally rode around the whole island (and stopped for food along the way).

Not a bad view for an afternoon!

I loved riding through the historic district...and the gorgeous live oaks covered in Spanish moss.

This was probably the most fun we had the whole time. Even though by the end of the day I was sunburned, sweaty, and had a sore rear end, it was definitely the best way to explore the island.
 

The second day, we had planned to rent kayaks and explore the marshy parts of the island but the weather ended up being kind of cold and rainy, so we hopped in the car and drove over to St. Simons Island and did a little exploring during the morning. We climbed 129 stairs to the top of the light house, drove through the "rich part" of this island to admire the houses (please tell me I'm not the only one who loves doing this??), and went to Ft. Frederica which is actually the remnants of a colonial town that didn't thrive.
 

Sunday morning we attended a sunrise service on the beach. I really enjoy the intimacy of worship in early (really early) morning. It was so beautiful to watch the sun rise over the ocean after the service was over.
 

Afterward, we came back to the condo where I watched Grey's Anatomy and sipped on coffee while Derek napped, then we walked around the island a little more to take some pictures.

Driftwood beach, probably my favorite part of the island.



Another view of driftwood beach, behind us you can see a few of the hundreds of trees along the beach that have been washed into "driftwood."

The three pictures above are probably some of my favorite to date that Derek and I have ever taken. It was windy and a little cold and my wireless shutter wasn't working, but I absolutely love them. Maybe one day I'll share the outtakes where I'm running to get in the photo in time after I've clicked the 10 second timer.

 

Where we ate:
The best place (in my opinion) we ate was the first place, and unfortunately it was all down hill from there.
 

685 Seafood

We stopped here to eat after about an hour of bike riding. We were famished, so maybe that's why it was so good. We also had several bloody marys so that might have helped too. Derek got the shrimp quesadilla and I got the crab flatbread. Both got five stars from me.
 

Driftwood Bistro

This was the restaurant at our condo site. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best food I've had either. I had shrimp and grits...the shrimp was shrimp and the grits were grits, but they topped it with some kind of red pepper cream sauce that was amazing. The second best part was the $10 bottles of wine.
 

The "Rah" Bar

Quite possibly the worst dining experience of my life. We chose to sit outside since we saw a band warming up and I'm a sucker for live music and eating on patios. It doesn't seem like there could be a "bad part" when it comes to sitting on a patio, listening to live music while the sun sets over the bay behind you, right? Well the BITING GNATS thought otherwise. I couldn't enjoy my meal (which was pretty bland anyway) at all and before I was half way through, I was so ready to go, it wasn't even funny. Note to self: humidity + sunset + steamy hot food = tons of bugs.

All in all it was a great vacation, the only thing I would change would have been to stay a little longer due to the fact that it was a nearly six hour drive to get there, which took up a lot of our time. I had fun and I definitely plan on going back one day!

Do you prefer fun and exciting vacations filled with adventure, or the slower paced, relaxing type?

 

That time I went to DC and didn't tell my parents

Yeah. I did that. Flew from Atlanta to Baltimore at the ripe age of 19 without telling my parents. Whoops. Just kidding, I actually told my mom when I was in the terminal and my Dad... well I'm still not sure if he knows about it.

I went to visit one of my very best friends from High School, who was going to college at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. I flew out of Atlanta eeeeaarrlly Saturday morning and landed in Baltimore a little before lunch. Since it was a little over a thirty minute drive to Annapolis, I decided it would be better to rent a car than to take a taxi or bus. I had paid for the car and made all the arrangements before hand and when I went to the rental place, all I had to do was show my ID and sign the papers. ONE little problem though...you have to be 21 to legally rent a car. I was 19. The salesman was like, sorry 'bout it, and pretty much blew me off. Aw hail naw. I pitched the biatch fit of all biatch fits and long story short, got the car.

The Harbor

After walking around the harbor for a little while, we got lunch. My first time trying sushi!

What was I thinking before? This shiz changed my life.

We then made our way to the Naval Academy campus.

 

This chapel is on the campus, and on graduation day has wedding after wedding, since the students aren't allowed to be married while at school (I think?) so they all line up after graduation to be married.

 

The next day we ventured to D.C. since I had never been. We saw all of the usual sights and monuments.

Capitol Building

 

Washington Monument

 

Lincoln Memorial. This was as close as we got. Those stairs did not look fun.

 

A mask inside the Native American museum where we ate lunch.

 

We had such a great time walking around and seeing everything.

 

The only time we saw the White House was in our crazy taxi ride home. If we didn't leave soon, we I would miss my flight and that would have been bad. So instead of walking the five miles back to the car, we took a cab. Worst. Decision. Ever. This man was a lunatic and I swear we were almost killed on at least three occasions.

 

My "driving in an unfamiliar town during rush hour" face.

 

In the end, I made my flight home and made it back to Alabama in once piece. It was a great weekend trip and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Annapolis is such a charming town. And of course there is so much more that I want to see and do in D.C. (hello Georgetown Cupcakes). Needless to say, I'm sure there will be a return trip in my future.

 

Linking up with Helene and Lisette. Happy Tuesday!