All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!!

Are you a Muggle? Sadly, I am too. But guess what? Even Muggles can ride the Hogwarts Express! I don’t know about you, but anytime I read a Harry Potter book or see a movie, I wish I was able to be a part of that world. And while I can’t change the fact that you’re a Muggle, I can help you experience the magic of the Hogwarts Express.

Our train compartment on the Hogwarts Express!!

First off, the Hogwarts Express is only at Universal Orlando. It runs between the King’s Cross Station in the London area of Universal Studios Florida (on platform 9 3/4 of course) and Hogsmeade station in Universal’s Islands of Adventure. ** IMPORTANT - To board the train, you will need a park-to-park ticket.

This ticket will allow you unlimited rides on the train as you go back and forth between the two parks. And don’t assume just because you rode the train one way that it’s the same on the return trip - it’s not! So be sure to ride both ways. The ride takes around 4 minutes each way.

The train compartments hold up to 8 passengers so if your group is larger you’ll be split up. Take a seat and along the way you’ll see a lot of familiar Harry Potter landmarks and friends out of the window. (It’s actually a video but looks pretty darn realistic).

While you can’t roam the aisles of the train, you can see silhouettes of happenings in the aisles - watch out for Dementors!!! You’ll also hear audio of what’s happening out there so pay attention.

A really fun feature is walking through King’s Cross Station and passing through the wall into Platform 9 3/4. Lag back a bit from your party so that you can get a picture of those ahead of you as they walk through the "wall" forming the entrance. Clueless people will try to push past you so hold your ground!!

Below are pictures of some of our rides on the Hogwarts Express. FYI, I would totally be wearing my Gryffindor robes if it didn’t embarrass my goofy family. Have you ridden the Hogwarts Express? Put your thoughts in the comments!! And if you haven’t… Be sure and give me a call and I’ll book and plan your trip to the Wizarding World for free - even if you’re a Muggle!!

Coming in August - Universal's NEW Aventura Hotel! Booking now!

Universal’s Aventura Hotel, opening August 2018, is a modern and stylish place for you to stay. This perfectly priced hotel is within walking distance of Universal’s Volcano Bay!  Of course, walking paths and shuttle buses are available to get to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  It's available to book today for your late summer vacation!

As with the other Universal on-site resorts, you'll enjoy Early Park Admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Universal’s Volcano Bay™ one hour before the parks open (valid theme park admission required).

The rooms will feature wooden (tile) floors, which is a first for standard rooms at Universal Orlando, and each will come with a tablet that will allow guests to control many of its features, such as the lights, television, and air-conditioning. Universal is promising this will be the most technologically-advanced hotel on-property.

There's also a Kids Suite - this 575 square foot room sleeps 5 and features a special interior area for the kids that includes two twin beds. You can put the little ones to sleep securely while you enjoy a few hours of downtime in a separate area that offers a king bed and a couch that converts into a deluxe, foam bed. 

Universal’s Aventura Hotel Introductory Offer

Book a 4-night stay or longer and you'll not only be among the first to stay at the newest on-site hotel, but you'll also receive a FREE $50 hotel dining credit* (per room). To take advantage of this introductory offer, you must book by June 15, 2018 with travel August 16 to December 20, 2018.  

And of course, if you book with Trips By Mouse, I will provide all of my planning services for FREE!  The cost is the exact same if you book with me or book yourself, so you'll want to make sure to take advantage of my expert planning.

Guest Room Amenities

• 600 guest rooms and suites; rooms start at 258 sq. ft.
• Flat panel television with HD channels and On Demand® in-room movies (fees apply)
• Coffee maker
• Mini refrigerator
• Iron, ironing board, hairdryer and in-room safe
• Two compartment bathroom – tub/shower with toilet, and separate compartment with sink and vanity
• Complimentary wireless internet access in each guest room and most common areas of the hotel (or upgrade to Premium Plus wireless internet access for optimal entertainment and business needs.)

Standard Room at Aventura

Pool:

Underwater speakers allow for Universal’s dive-in movie experiences!  The pool area also features a kids' splash zone and a fire-pit!

Pool at Aventura

Dining Options at Aventura:

FOOD HALL

The food hall is where unique, high-quality restaurants come together, offering a multitude of cuisines for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Throughout this expansive space are dining options sure to fit everyone’s palettes. Guests can enjoy their meals indoors or poolside, where the free WiFi flows.

LOBBY BAR

The lobby bar is contemporary, spacious and inviting. This breezy and comfortable meeting space is the perfect before or after dinner hangout.

ROOFTOP BAR - Bar 17 Bistro

Here, you can take in the views of the city and the theme parks - including Krakatau at Volcano Bay and Hogwarts at Islands of Adventure. All your drink favorites, some custom potions and delicious small plate specialties make the rooftop bar a cool hangout.

Rooftop Bar at Aventura

POOLSIDE BAR AND GRILL

You might spend a whole day in the relaxing surroundings of the hotel’s pool. And why not, when all your snacks and meals, along with frozen drinks, cocktails, beer and wine are right here?

STARBUCKS® COFFEE

Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. The Starbucks at Universal’s Aventura Hotel is in the heart of the hotel lobby and offers their full menu of food and drinks.

Other Amenties:

A couple of other great amenities are an on-site Universal Studios Store, a Complimentary Fitness Center and a Virtual Reality game room where technology and motion tracking controllers deliver an experience unlike any other.

*Terms and Conditions of Dining Credit:  One (1) $50 hotel dining credit per room. Credit applies to food and beverage (excluding alcohol) at Universal’s Aventura Hotel restaurants only, days/hours of operation may vary. Hotel dining credit must be used in full during stay and excludes gratuities and applicable taxes. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any prior purchases. Any unused credit is non-transferable and non-refundable and forfeited if not used. All prices and options are subject to availability to change without notice and additional restrictions may apply.

This is US

As much as I like the TV show This is Us, this blog post is about a different US - Universal Studios!  Sorry to disappoint those of you that were expecting info about the show!  :)

I've done a blog post previously that is mainly about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - check it out here.  

This post is about some of the other rides and attractions that Universal has to offer.  My main reason for going will always be to hang out with Harry, but they've got a lot of other fun spots too.

First of all, something that seems to confuse a few people - Universal is not a part of Disney.  They are two completely different companies.  I think the confusion comes from the fact that Disney has a movie studios type park in Hollywood Studios.  But Universal is not on Disney property - it's about 10 miles away.  

There are 3 parks now at Universal Studios - Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of  Adventure and Universal's Volcano Bay (which is a water park).  Both Universal Studios  and Islands of Adventure house Harry Potter areas - with delicious butterbeer at each!  Universal Studios is home to Diagon Alley while Islands of Adventure is home to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  To ride the Hogwarts Express between the two parks, you must have a park-to-park pass.

Universal Studios Florida

This is the newest part of The Wizarding World - Diagon Alley.  It has the most incredible ride around - Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.  The ride is a huge thrill mixture of roller coaster and virtual screens.  So. Much. Fun.  And the line to the ride is really cool as you make your way through the bank lobby into the vaults.

Here are a few other rides at this park that I highly recommend:

• Revenge of the Mummy - really good and thrilling with a great surprise near the end.
• E.T. Adventure - I LOVE this ride.  It is a super calm and pretty ride about the movie.  I love that you ride on your bike through the ride.
• Transformers: The Ride
• The Simpsons Ride - made all of us nauseous but I know a lot of people love it!
• Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon - new!
• Rip Ride Rockit - only Don was brave enough to ride this one.
• Terminator 2
• Men in Black - fun and you can compete against your family!
• Shrek 4D - really cute and funny movie with 4-D effects.

There are also a lot of great places to eat - the food at the Leaky Cauldron is delicious.  But save room for dessert - there's butterbeer ice cream or a giant donut in the Simpson's area at Lard Lad Donuts!

You're probably thinking this donut could feed more than 1 person.  Hmm...  Mine didn't.  :)

Universal's Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure has the original Wizarding World - you can visit Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  Be sure to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey - the line takes you through Hogwarts.  Once you've explored all of this world (and had plenty of butterbeer), head on out to check out the rest of the park.

Here are the rides at Islands of Adventure you need to be sure and check out:

• Doctor Doom's Fearfall
• The Incredible Hulk Coaster
• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
• Skull Island:Reign of Kong
• Jurassic Park River Adventure
• Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls
• Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges

We've been to Islands of Adventure a couple of times but our kids were too young to like the thrill rides.  Plus this park has a lot of rides that are basically water rides and we're weird about not liking those.  So while the Harry Potter area is AWESOME, if I had only one day, I'd spend the majority of it at Universal Studios Florida.

But if you're wise and have listened to me, you'll have a park-to-park pass so that you can ride the Hogwarts Express.  If you hurry, you can hit a few rides here when you're done with the other park.

Speaking of ways to save time...  Universal offers a little different take on the line skipping pass.  Unlike Disney's FastPass, it is an extra charge.  But you get to skip the line once on all the rides - where Disney just gives you 3 to start.  If you're staying on-site at Universal, some of the resorts include an Unlimited Express Pass which is good on the rides as many times as you want to use them.  Well worth the money if it's a crowded day - and if you're staying on-site it just might be included!

Volcano Bay

You've heard me say before that my family really doesn't do water parks.  So while I don't have personal knowledge of Volcano Bay, I have done training on it from Universal Studios.  It's an amazing park and if you're into water parks at all, it's a must-do!

Be sure to give me a call if you're interested in a Universal vacation.  I'd love to plan and book your trip and make sure you're getting the best value for your money!!