Live from Universal Orlando Resort- Day Four: Details Abound at the Studios

The last two days of a pretty incredible trip to Universal Orlando begins today. The guys are loving it all with Volcano Bay being a blast and the two main theme parks a great place to hang out. 

No disappointments when it comes to the two Harry Potter themed lands and their stellar line up of attractions, shops and restaurants- straight out of the books and movies.

"Dad, pumpkin juice tastes like apple cider."

Time for more adventures in Diagon Alley. 

The details are everywhere. Look up! (see below.)

Looks as if the land of Homer is pretty rich in detail as well. Certainly a place for fans of the Simpsons to enjoy some fun! I love how Universal has not been afraid to reach out to the cynical but fun loving generation of the 90s. They need to be kids again!

More to come as things get wrapped up!

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 Clearly, it's time for a beer...

 Don't lose your head. Previous customers couldn't help it.

 A look at the future?

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Time for ice cream... and some exploration with that magic wand.

 Just waiting for the snot flavored jelly beans next...

 The dragon looks fantastic!

 It would probably help tremendously if I knew the books and movies. But I'm a muggle of the first degree.

I'mm guessing these last two are from inside the ice cream ship.

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(Photos copyright Mark Taft.)

Live from Universal Orlando Resort- Day Three: Volcano Bay

Looks like a perfect day for the Volcano Bay water park! Slightly overcast but warm. More later!

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

Live from Universal Orlando Resort- Day Two: Islands of Adventure

Day Two begins. As you can tell from the photo above, it starts at Islands of Adventure. Home to Hogsmeade and the famous - game changing- Forbidden Journey of Harry Potter.

Amazing attention to detail!

The approach. 

More coming later in the day.

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Breakfast at the Three Broomsticks proceeded by a ride on the soon to disappear Dragon's Challenge. (Which, by the way, my son thought it was terrific and was sad to see it go.)

My question- "So Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley?  
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Rounding out the day with Dragon's Challenge (again).

Jurassic Park River Adventure, the Hulk, and Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man came next. According to him, Spider-Man is not their favorite ("Good but I wouldn't call it the "don't miss" of Islands of Adventure.")  Kong was fun but nothing to write home about.

Live From Universal Orlando Resort- Day One: Universal Studios

Fresh from this morning! A trip to Universal Orlando for 5 days- and not a Disney park on the plan. Why? Two words: Harry Potter. The boy wizard was THE draw for my youngest son and one of his best friends. They'd wanted to do this trip since Harry made his debut at Islands of Adventure years ago. And, good for them, they finally did.

Using an early morning entry, into the park they went... 

The verdict so far? And I quote, "Better than Everest!"

Stay tuned for more as the day- and the week- goes on!

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Guess it's time for something to eat. The guys must be starved.

How about The Leaky Cauldron?

Did they just step into the films? The execution of the story seems incredible! It's making me rethink my visit next year to Orlando- and I haven't even seen more than the first film.

Next up I heard was to buy a wand at some shop around the corner...

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Apparently, there's quite a selection of these. I'm guessing these are a bit more popular than the mini-banshees sold at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Pandora. I would think multiple million-selling books and a blockbuster film series may have something to do with it.

 A bit of a show, I'm told.

The final selection. More to come...

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The Mummy, Duffs, and Butterbeer- what a combination!

"How was The Mummy?", this dad asked. "Insane!" was the reply. I knew it would be a hit with its sequence of shows scenes and tricks up its sleeve. 

Being that The Simpsons was a big favorite for my son, he was sure to get a kick out of Homer's themed land. And he sure did. But the call of Harry Potter brought him back to Gringott's and a stop for Butterbeer.

In the theme park wars, it sounds as if Universal has the young adult market owned with its mix of more edgy and extreme attractions. Now I understand better why the family market is the focus of its advertising. In fact, according to my son, Minions had a 2.5 hour wait about an hour ago. Just goes to show there are less attractions for the younger kids there.

I wonder what's next...

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(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

A Journey Worth Discovering

Romance, food, travel. This film has everything going for it, including subtle, heartfelt performances by the four lead actors. Love it the fist time we saw it, and it's even better in subsequent viewings. It's a Hundred Foot Journey worth taking.

Helen Mirren, the new Meryl Streep, is utterly convincing as stuffy French restaurant owner Madame Mallory. Her one Michelin starred restaurant is the only game in town, destroying the competition. That is, until the Kadam family enters the village- along with equally feisty Papa (Om Puri) and opens a restaurant right across the street. 

In an expected plot turn, young chef Hassan discovers that the lovely and single lady helping his family in distress is none other than the competition's sous chef Marguerite.  Love enraptures, success brings separation, and love eventually succeeds. Yes, you understand all this even before the opening lines of dialogue, but the actors are so pleasant to watch, you don't mind it a bit. Manish Dayal is perfectly cast, as is his love Charlotte Le Bon. 

Surprisingly, the star of the film is not the food. The exotic locales are smartly played to draw you in and make you forget it's really a foodie film. (And make you run to IMDB to discover exactly where in France this charming village is located.) Much like Tortilla Soup, it's a story driven, character rich film, and it is worth spending a very pleasant afternoon to watch it. 

If you can find it, that is.

The Garden Isle Awaits

Kauai, Hawaii. The Garden Isle. The future site of a long needed vacation using my United Airlines miles and the total sum of $11 each. God is so good to us- He knew what I needed when. Thank you.