Cruising with a Toddler. Our Photo Intense Trip Recap of the 9-7-13 Carnival Dream

[TeknikDC2]

 

No rain had fallen yet when we got back to the Wizarding World which was much less busy now with the storm rolling in and 2 of its 3 attractions closed do to the lightning warning. Since the rain still hadn't started we discussed if we really wanted dinner now or not. Since the ground was still dry we decided to hold off until later.

 

Edited September 24, 2013 by TeknikDC2

[TeknikDC2]

 

To kill the time until dinner we decided to walk back up to Hogwarts and take another ride o the Forbidden Journey. We pulled out a poncho first though to get the stroller covered up just incase it started raining while we were inside. The wait was now posted as being only 10 minutes but we wouldn't be using the standby line this time. Instead we used the Single Rider line which once again can be used with Child Swap. I walked right on to the ride with no wait at all and this ride was much better then my first earlier in the day. The lighting issue I complained about earlier was fixed and much better this time. I really don't know why it was so light on our first rides.

 

 

After Kiera took her ride we again exited the ride and still there was no rain. As we walked back in to Hogsmead we noticed a very short wait for the Olivanders Wand Experiance. The wait looked to probably be only a 1 show wait and with no rain still we decided to hop in line as its very rare to see a short line for Olivanders. Heck Olivanders typically pulls the longest lines in the Wizarding World. My one show wait was pretty close as we got cut off from the group in front of us so we would be the first people in the next people. It was now while we waited that it finally started to rain. But luckly for us we were under the overhang so we were able to stay dry.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

Soon we were ushered into Olivanders and I noticed something different immidiatly compared to past visits. The wand keeper was already waiting for us as we walked in with the "helper". Usually when we walk in it was only the Helper there and the Wandkeeper appears later. This Wandkeeper addressed our group and then stated something that i've never heard said before. No Flash Photography was allowed. Now I know this use to be different as i've taken many flash photographers in there before. Then as the show started a 2nd Wandkeeper appeared. Now it made a bit more sinse to me. This 2nd wandkeeper was likely in training as he conducted the rest of the show from this point. Perhaps the no flash photography at this time was so the trainee wouldn't loose his focus and forget his lines. A pre-teen aged girl was chosen to have a wand choose her and the show was great as always. This possible trainee did a very good job. This show is always cool to see and very magical as it mimics the scene from the First Harry Potter Movie when the wand picks Harry. After a couple wrong wands that cause bad magic the correct wand is finally chosen. After that the show is over and your ushered into two shop areas that sell the wands if you want to purchase one. This show is very cute and one we see each time we go. It can also be worth multipule visits as different magic occurs in each show. However the lines do get very long for the show so its one I can only recommend as a Must do if you've never done it or if the line is short.

 

 

With it raining outside now it was a good time to grab some dinner. So we walked across the street to the Three Broomsticks where it has become a tradition to eat Dinner at, at least once during our trips. We had missed the dinner rush by this point so we were able to get in with no wait at all. For dinner tonight I ordered the Ribs Platter and Kiera got the Chicken and Ribs Platter. I thought the food was great as its always been in the past. But Kiera said the Ribs taisted different to her. She liked the Chicken though. The Three Broomsticks is a pretty cool place to eat and a must do for anyone into the Harry Potter books. Just like practically every building in the land there are also effects that take place in the restaurant. Watch closely in the catwalks above for shadows of Owls delevering mail and House Elves Shadows as they do work.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

Finishing dinner also marked us being done with Islands of Adventure for the day. But we couldn't leave without more Butterbeer of course. So I walked over to the Hogs Head (which is attached to the Three Broomsticks) to get some but I was told they were out of topping so i'd have to get it at the Three Broomsticks counter instead. We actually ended up liking it more from the Three Broomsticks as the Frozen seemed to not be as watered down. This was also the first time Daniel tried the drink as he was asleep earlier when we got them. He didn't seem to like it too much at first but by the end of the trip he was really guzzling it down.

 

 

When we finally left the Three Broomsticks Islands of Adventure was officially closed for the night. But the night was still young. The Universal Studios Florida park was open for another hour and a half and the rain was letting up now so we still had time to have fun in the parks tonight. On the way towards the exit I noticed a little path next to the Mythos restaurant that we had never been down before so I figured what the heck. We followed the path down and it put us on a large patio on the waterfront directly in front of Mythos. I had never paid close attention to this side of Mythos before but the detail and themeing was even more incredible then it was on the front. This is a cool quite area of the park that i'm sure many don't know about.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

As we entered the Port of Entry we made one quick stop at the Islands Christmas Shop. We have a tradition of buying a Christmas Ornament from each of our trips and we wanted to see if there were any new Universal Ornaments that we could purchase for this trip. After looking around we found a couple that we liked but we didn't buy any at this time. We figured we would wait instead until after the cruise so that we didn't have to haul it around with us.

 

[TeknikDC2]

We then made our exit and cut across the front side of Citywalk by the NBA Cafe and Hard Rock. In practically no time we were once again at the Universal Studios Globe ready to continue our day in the Studios park.

 

 

 

Alright and that does it for this update. Only one more left and Day 2 will be completed and in the books. And don't worry the next update will be the shortest of the Day 2 updates. Thanks to all of you reading along and checking out the photos. As always please feel free to ask any questions or comment on whatever and I will try to respond as quickly as I can. Thanks so much everyone for all of the support. I hope to have the next update posted soon.

 

 

 

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[Fizzgigd]

Just wanted to say thanks for the review! We are also from Utah! Loving the review of Universal. We went last year and I can't wait to go back! Also can't wait for the Dream review. :)

[cruisinsly]

More please!!

[ch27088]

Thanks so much for sharing your vacation/cruise with us. Hurry and add more to your review please!

[megann831]

 

Hopefully he has a great time. We never actually took Daniel to Camp Carnival. We went up there 1 day to see what it was about and if we could just stay and play with him in there for a little bit one afternoon but even though he was only 1 week away from turning 2 they would not allow him in there. So we never went back after then. Most morning they do have time set aside for children under 2 to come in to Camp Carnival. However it will cost you to do so or the parents must be there with there toddler. This time is pretty early in the morning though so we slept instead. But again more on this later.

 

Anyways thanks again everyone.

 

I was hoping not to hear that. We're taking our daughter, who will have just turned 4 and son who will be 2 weeks shy of 2 on the Pride in April. I was really hoping they'd let him stay for dinner for a night or two.

[Mrs.C05]

Teknik,

I do remember you and Kiera, and all you previous cruises. Congrats on having your son! Time certainly flies, our son is 18 month, and we got back from a 5 day cruise yesterday with him. Can't wait to read the rest of you review, you always have some great write ups!

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Forums mobile app

[Mrs.C05]

I was hoping not to hear that. We're taking our daughter, who will have just turned 4 and son who will be 2 weeks shy of 2 on the Pride in April. I was really hoping they'd let him stay for dinner for a night or two.

 

Your son can stay with the "night owls" from 10pm-3am for a fee, otherwise they have certain times you can stay with him and play. We didn't take our son to it either. He'll be 2yrs and 2wks when we go in March, so we will get to try it out then.

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Forums mobile app

[wrigley80]

I am LOVING your review. It has probably been 15 years since I was at Universal Studios last but your review is making me want to visit again.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write such a thorough review :)

[TeknikDC2]

Just wanted to say thanks for the review! We are also from Utah! Loving the review of Universal. We went last year and I can't wait to go back! Also can't wait for the Dream review. :)

 

Hey thank you. Its always nice to find fellow Utahans on the boards here who also love cruising.

 

I was hoping not to hear that. We're taking our daughter, who will have just turned 4 and son who will be 2 weeks shy of 2 on the Pride in April. I was really hoping they'd let him stay for dinner for a night or two.

 

Yeah when they told us no we didn't really press it any further. I don't know if they would have verified his age if we just said he was 2 or not but all we know is that at that time we weren't even allowed to go in and play with him ourselves. He was pretty sad to see the play areas and toys and not get to go play with them.

 

Teknik,

I do remember you and Kiera, and all you previous cruises. Congrats on having your son! Time certainly flies, our son is 18 month, and we got back from a 5 day cruise yesterday with him. Can't wait to read the rest of you review, you always have some great write ups!

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Forums mobile app

 

Yes I remember you and congrates to you as well. I too have followed your past reviews and I hope you write one for your recent cruise as well.

[TeknikDC2]

Day 2, Part 3: Universal Studios Florida

 

We had about an hour in the Studios until it would be closing for the night. Our primary reason for coming to the Studios tonight was to see the Nightime Show and since the rain had let up my worries of it possibly being cancelled was put aside as It was sure to take place now. Since we already here for a bit last night I figured tonight we could check out some of the other new stuff that has been added to the park since our last visit.

 

 

First we decided to head down the Hollywood section of the park. Which in my opinion should have probably been the enterance for the park. I don't know why Universal Designers didn't do it as the current entry into Production Central is rather bland and probably the worst entry area of any theme park. There really isn't much to Hollywood other then the gorgous facades though. It has a few attractions such as Terminator 2 3d which we unfortunatly never did see this time but is a pretty good show and one of the best 3d shows there is, and lastly the Horror Picture Make Up show which again we didn't do this time but is a very fun and interactive show. Hollywood also has lots of little shops you can check out and is typically where you will find many characters in the middle of the day.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

On the way toward the back of the park we walked thru the Central Park area of the park. Theres a main path that always cuts thru the park but there are also a path on the water front that we've never walked before. Since Cental Park is also one of the prime viewing locations for the Show tonight it would also give us a chance to try and find a good spot to watch the show from tonight. The views of the park from this area are wonderful and make for some great photos. I don't know why I had never been thru it before.

 

 

At the end of the park is where you will now be able to find the Delorean and Time Train from the Back to the Future movies. Now the Delorean isn't the original (it was used as a stunt car in Part 3 and the original is in California at Universal Studios Hollywood) but the Time Train is the original. These use to be located next to Soundstage 44 but when the Soundstage was demoed to make way for Transformers last year the Delorean and Train were moved here which I think is much more fitting location for them. Although you use to be able to get much closer to the Delorean then you can now.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

Finally we were at the area I wanted to see tonight. Welcome to Springfield. A new Simpsons subland that replaced what was once just a basic food court style restaurant and endless benches and concrete. Really what was once the International Food Festival building was a very ugly and dead area of the park.

 

 

What Replaced it is this mini Springfield which has quickly become the most popular eating area of the park. Although the Food Court style Restaurant remains it is now extensivly themed around the Simpsons. Instead of a bland building you now have facades for the Andorids Dungion, Krusty Burger, and Cletus' Chicken Shack. There are more Springfield inspired resturants inside as well but I will touch on that more later.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

As part of Fast Food Blvd's facades there is also a Full Size replica of Moe's Tavern and I think the best part of the expansion. Its just like stepping foot into the Cartoon when you walk thru the doors of Moes. Inside you will find a full service Bar. And for those of you who drink you can order a real Duff Beer here. The beer was created specifically for the theme park so this is the only place you can buy it right now. For those who don't drink another speciality drink was created in the Flaming Moe. This drink is like a Soda but it will actually smoke and look as if its on fire. But again I will touch on that more later in the review after the cruise.

 

 

Outdoors theres a few other places you can grab food. You can get some tacos at Bumblebee Mans Taco Truck or grab an actual Lard Lad doughnut. Some residents of Springfield are around the area as statue photo ops. Then there is Duff Gardens. This outdoor bar area overlooks the lagoon and is also a full service bar like Moes that serves Duff and other beers. There is also a Duff themed gift shop next to it.

 

 

Springfield is split further as the area around the actual Simpsons ride (that opened back in 2008) is themed as Krustyland. Last year the fake "midway games" facades in front of the ride were removed and actual Midway games were installed instead (to replace the ones from Amity when Jaws closed). They then added additional games around the plaza and it really does feel like a cheap carnival now (cheap usually isn't good in theme parks but with the Simpsons it works incredibly well).

 

Edited September 25, 2013 by TeknikDC2

[TeknikDC2]

To add to the Carnival aspect of Krustyland another ride themed to the Aliens Kudos and Kand was added to the area. This is the most recent ride to the park and opened only a couple weeks before our visit. We were just thrilled that there was finally another family ride in the resort. The Twirl and Hurl is another well themed spinner much like Dumbo. It may not have the water feature that One Fish, Two Fish has but they still added an interactive element to the ride. There are targets with different Simpsons characters on it at different levels. If you fly your vehicle level with the targets they will spin and say a phrase. Not the greatest thing but it still makes the ride more fun the Dumbo.

 

 

The wait for the ride was only 5 minutes when we got in line but we practically walked on. This was the first glimpse we got of the Harry Potter expansion from across the bay. I was excited to see those buildings up close but that wouldn't happen tonight. I'm not sure why as theres plenty of room but they only allow 2 riders per vehicle so since I rode One Fish, Two Fish with Daniel earlier Kiera would ride with him now and I rode alone in the vehicle in front of them. Once again Daniel liked the ride until it started moving. Then it was a fight for Kiera to keep him seated. The ride is cute and another much needed ride that has no ride height. But its not something thats gonna bring crowds to the park. Honestly Universal needs more of these little side diversion rides.

 

 

With time still to kill before the Nighttime Show we tried thinking what else we could do. We thought of going on the Simpsons ride as it only had a 10 minute wait. But the ride does take a while to get thru with Child Swap so we decided to wait until tomorrow. So we continued on to the next ride which is Men in Black. This ride only had a 5 minute wait so we went to get in line. But then we decided to do Single Riders with Child Swap as then we wouldn't have to wait out the Pre Show. If its your first time on this ride though its another that I highly recommend you go thru the main line. This is one of the best lines out there as I really enjoy the fake out at the beginning. It fits the Men in Black theme so well. Men in Black is a shooter ride much like Toy Story Midway Mania and Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters. But its much better then those ones. Instead of 3d or cardboard cutouts the Majority of the aliens in Men in Black are 3 deminsional. The ride is also longer and has two tracks with a portion where you fight against the other vehicle. This ride is a do not Miss at the Studios.

 

[TeknikDC2]

Kiera went to the Child Swap room first and I went down to load. This was my first time that I would go on the Right track instead of the left. Also just like the night before on Transformers I got the ride vehicle all to myself. Hey at least I was the highest scorer for once lol. After my ride I embaressed myself a bit when running up the stairs and right in front of the workers I tripped and fell. Its a good thing I was the only rider as it would have been really sad to have done that in front of other guests. I returned to the Child Swap where Kiera then took a ride but she was placed in a car with other people.

 

 

It was just about closing time when we got done with Men in Black. Everything was closing up and the Nighttime Show would soon be starting. So we quickly hurried back thru Springfield and into Central Park. There were obviously many more people now waiting for the show to start. But we were still able to find a good spot to watch right on the waters edge almost in the center of the Lagoon.

 

 

Technically this wouldn't be the first time that we have seen Universal's Cinematic Spectacular. On our last day at Universal last year in April we caught the very first public viewing of the show. The show was in technical rehearsals at the time and wouldn't have officially opened for another month. We watched that from the south end of the Lagoon and were rather impressed with the show. The only thing that really seemed lacking to us was there wasn't many fireworks and it seemed really long. But it was the first showing they ever did for the public so perhaps everything didn't go off as planned.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

We were very excited to see the show in its official finished form. This show was a pretty big step forward for Universal in terms of Nighttime shows as I heard there previous ones weren't anything great. Much like the World of Color show found at Disney California Adventure the show utilizes water fountains, pyrotechnics, and Lasers to help tell the story. They also project images on to giant screens however Disney uses a technology of Mist Screens to project the images where here they use Water Curtains. The images are very clear on each screen but for the most part the infastructure for Mist screens are hidden where the barges for the Water Curtains at Universal are very obvious and kind of an eyesore during the day.

 

[TeknikDC2]

The show takes you on an emotional journey thru over 100 years of Universal films. Universal uses a lot of Non-Universal IP's in there parks but rest assured this show only features actual Universal Films. There are so many films featured that you won't even realize that many of them were from Universal in the first place. The show is narrated by Morgan Freeman which adds to the emotional connection that the show trys to make. It is devided into a few different parts featuring Hero's, Horror, Humor, and Love.

 

 

Overall we walked away from the show much more impressed then we did with that inital preview showing. First it is very noticible that there is Significantly more Fireworks in the show then the preview had. In addition to Fireworks going off more frequently they are also launched from more locations then they were in that first show. They also added Lasers to the show since that first preview night which were really cool to see mixed with screens and fountains. But lastly the show had been tweeked since the preview. It isn't as long as we remembered it being. I also swear there were a few segments removed completly from the show. But the biggest surprise was the additon of some current movies that just came out this summer. I guess thats the perk of using the technology they do as it can be edited very easily.

 

[TeknikDC2]

 

We do really enjoy the show and its something I consider a do not miss to end your day at Universal Studios. Just don't go in expecting a Disney show out of it. Because its not. Almost all of the Disney nighttime shows are better then Universal's Cinematic Spectacular but this show is a huge step in the right direction for Nighttime activities at the Universal Resort. What this show does do though is pushes your emotions from some of the most epic moments and soundtracks from film history. I can only imagine it will continue to get better over time and it makes me really interested if we see it expanded upon someday and a new nighttime show is also added next door at Islands of Adventure.

 

[TeknikDC2]

Since the park was officially closed once the show finished we let Daniel walk with us thru Hollywood as we made our way towards the exit. He loved running down the sidewalks and looking in all of the store windows as we went along. As with most theme parks the Universal parks look pretty incredible after dark. It really is sad that the parks don't stay open any later then they do as they are so fun after dark with how they are lit up.

 

[TeknikDC2]

We walked quickly thru Citywalk and were eventually back at our car and before long back in the Hotel room. With the night still young and our hotels pool and Hot Tubs were open until 11pm so we decided that now may be the only chance to go swim if we wanted to. We walked downstairs to pretty much and empty pool area. The pool was large and fairly warm. This hotel also has 2 Hot Tubs and both are kept at different temperatures. We had a good time just relaxing in the Hot Tubs under the stars and Daniel really enjoyed playing in the pool with us.

 

 

Finally our longest day in the parks were over. We had alot of fun but we were ready for some rest and sleep. We made a wall around Daniels bed so he wouldn't roll off it again and then we were off to bed too. We had another day ahead of us at Universal Studios tomorrow before heading out to Port Canaveral for our Cruise. Good thing tomorrow would be a shorter day for us.

 

 

 

Alright that not only concludes another update but Day 2 is now completed. Only one full day left in Universal before the Cruise portion of this trip report starts. Thanks again for all the support and comments. Its awesome how to hear from you guys and it really motivates to get the next updates done quickly. As always please feel free to continue to comment and ask any questions you have and I will answer them as quickly as possible. Thank you everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

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