Very belated account of my recent FL trip - Part 1
Okay, so I doubt anyone actually cares all that much, but hey, for the .25 people that do...
For actual pictures and more detail, see stupid_drawings account here: http://stupid-drawings.livejournal.com/373963.html
So... went to FL with stupid_drawings. It was awesome.
We flew out of (cold, grey, mucky) Chicago on a Thursday evening, and took a shuttle to our hotel. One of our fellow passengers was a loquacious Long Islander who apparently accomplishes more in a day that I've done in a year, and who kept trying to recruit us for her cosmetics business. Very nice lady, very Type A.
The hotel had all the charm of a... well, it was cheap. We're just going to try and bring our own pillows next time. We met up with Tiffany, whose LJ name I will have to be reminded of, and went out for Irish pub food. Then to bed, because tomorrow.... was Hogwarts.
Friday dawned to reveal S and Tiff in what can best be described as Hogwarts casual uniforms (S is a Slytherin and Tiff's a Gryffindor). I myself am a Ravenclaw, but seeing as I lacked necessary wardrobe ended up borrowing a Gryffindor T-shirt.
We met up with wicked_swann (also a Slytherin) at Universal, and headed for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
My god. It's full of stars.
They've done a completely amazing job recreating Hogsmeade and the castle. Most of the shops are nonfunctional, but filled with little moving bits and detailed touches... struggling Bludgers, crying Mandrakes, moving images... Moaning Myrtle can be heard in the bathrooms. It needs to be bigger... there's actually not much to it yet, but what is there is just... magical.
They also need more Ravenclaw stuff, for realsies. Everything was Gryffindor or Slytherin. Hufflepuffs shafted as well. Did manage to pick up one of two Ravenclaw t-shirts for sale there.
At Forbidden Journey, we were allowed to take the shortcut through Hogwarts because of S and Tiff's outfits, which also got us a shortcut elsewhere (half the time someone said, hey, Slytherin, come this way, half the time they said hey, Gryffindor, come this way.... ). All told, we rode it five times. It's an incredible ride, feels like you're flying. And the little details they've put into your trip through Hogwarts on the way... we found Snape's office half-hidden off to the side in the dungeons. wicked_swann was kind enough to be purse-holder extraordinare, as she isn't much for motion rides, but she was able to go with us through the castle.
They do a show every half hour or so, it alternates between a performance by Durmstrang and Beauxbatons (referred to by us as the 'dance of Masculinity') and a musical performance by the school choir, complete with frogs. They performed a beautiful (longer) version of the Double Double song from HP3, with more verses from Macbeth.
stupid_drawings was picked for the wand show at Ollivanders, and butterbeer is really really delicious. It's sweet, with a butterscotch topping. A++ would drink again. We saw a bit of other parts of Universal, but really, it was all about all things Harry Potter. Ended up closing out the park.
For actual pictures and more detail, see stupid_drawings account here: http://stupid-drawings.livejournal.com/373963.html
So... went to FL with stupid_drawings. It was awesome.
We flew out of (cold, grey, mucky) Chicago on a Thursday evening, and took a shuttle to our hotel. One of our fellow passengers was a loquacious Long Islander who apparently accomplishes more in a day that I've done in a year, and who kept trying to recruit us for her cosmetics business. Very nice lady, very Type A.
The hotel had all the charm of a... well, it was cheap. We're just going to try and bring our own pillows next time. We met up with Tiffany, whose LJ name I will have to be reminded of, and went out for Irish pub food. Then to bed, because tomorrow.... was Hogwarts.
Friday dawned to reveal S and Tiff in what can best be described as Hogwarts casual uniforms (S is a Slytherin and Tiff's a Gryffindor). I myself am a Ravenclaw, but seeing as I lacked necessary wardrobe ended up borrowing a Gryffindor T-shirt.
We met up with wicked_swann (also a Slytherin) at Universal, and headed for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
My god. It's full of stars.
They've done a completely amazing job recreating Hogsmeade and the castle. Most of the shops are nonfunctional, but filled with little moving bits and detailed touches... struggling Bludgers, crying Mandrakes, moving images... Moaning Myrtle can be heard in the bathrooms. It needs to be bigger... there's actually not much to it yet, but what is there is just... magical.
They also need more Ravenclaw stuff, for realsies. Everything was Gryffindor or Slytherin. Hufflepuffs shafted as well. Did manage to pick up one of two Ravenclaw t-shirts for sale there.
At Forbidden Journey, we were allowed to take the shortcut through Hogwarts because of S and Tiff's outfits, which also got us a shortcut elsewhere (half the time someone said, hey, Slytherin, come this way, half the time they said hey, Gryffindor, come this way.... ). All told, we rode it five times. It's an incredible ride, feels like you're flying. And the little details they've put into your trip through Hogwarts on the way... we found Snape's office half-hidden off to the side in the dungeons. wicked_swann was kind enough to be purse-holder extraordinare, as she isn't much for motion rides, but she was able to go with us through the castle.
They do a show every half hour or so, it alternates between a performance by Durmstrang and Beauxbatons (referred to by us as the 'dance of Masculinity') and a musical performance by the school choir, complete with frogs. They performed a beautiful (longer) version of the Double Double song from HP3, with more verses from Macbeth.
stupid_drawings was picked for the wand show at Ollivanders, and butterbeer is really really delicious. It's sweet, with a butterscotch topping. A++ would drink again. We saw a bit of other parts of Universal, but really, it was all about all things Harry Potter. Ended up closing out the park.