***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: Universal

Disney is truly a magical place. Every time we come home from there, I'm ready to book our next trip. We had such a fantastic time. The picture above was pretty neat because notice the massive crowds! It's practically empty. The park technically hadn't opened yet but we were able to get in because we made breakfast reservations at Belles castle. That was super neat.

Not to mention, Delicious. So fancy too, and it was quick service so we were able to use our meal plan. We stayed at Pop Century, which wasn't my favorite hotel there, but for the amount of time you actually spend in your room, who cares. Overall it was nice, and we were really close to the main building which was a major plus.

We met a lot of princess's.

And a Fairy too!

We wanted to meet Anna and Elsa, but did not get a fast pass for it, so an hour and a half wait.. nope.. Aubrey wasn't having it. I would have waited for her, but she said she'd rather go on rides.

And the rides were a blast. It wasn't too bad as far as lines. The big ones we wanted to get on, we were sure to get fast passes for. Particularly Test Track. The last two times we went to Disney, it was down, and we couldn't get on.

Now that is a gem. My family will forever make fun of me for this one. Since we went down with my in laws, we bought the Photo Pass package. It was so worth it with all the photos you get. Included the ones on the rides. Below is the Terror of Terror. As you can see, Aubrey was a huge fan. lol.

Unfortunately, it pretty much ruined her for any scary ride for the rest of the trip, but don't worry. She talks about it like a badge of honor and has told everyone and their mothers how she survived it. lol

We didn't just go to Disney though, we went to Universal as well. We caught a shuttle over.

That was such a fun day! Every day was fun. The Harry Potter sections though.. incredible. The amount of detail they put into it is crazy. It's just... wow. I'm still blown away. I will leave you all with a few more photos from the trip.

I hope you all have fun vacay's planned for this summer!

Labels: castles, disney, harry potter, princess's, terror of terror, Universal, Vacation

I absolutely love the Harry Potter books. I read them about 7 years ago when I was pregnant with Aubrey. From first to last, I devoured them. There is nothing quite like reading those books for the first time.

Now, fast forward a few years, and we take Aubrey to Disney for the first time. She was Four at the time, and it was the very best experience.

I wish you all could have seen her face when she saw Cinderellas Castle. It was one of those moments you never forget as a mother. Her eyes were all big, and she started screaming.

I mean SCREAMING in pure joy. Everyone on the Monorail with us was laughing because it was just that cute. :)

When we took that trip, we also went to Universal. She didn't know what Harry Potter was at the time. She was all about the Disney princesses. Plus, she was a little too young to take on some of those attractions. That top photo was taken by me when we went, and I'm still kicking myself in the ass for never trying the ButterBeer. It was right there! But I don't know if I will like it, so I passed.

We will have our chance again though! We are heading to Disney and Universal in May. We are so freaking excited. This time though, I want Aubrey to know Harry Potter, so I bit the bullet and bought the whole collection. Honestly, I wanted them for myself anyway, so why not.

Previously, I had only watched the first 3. I'm not sure why I didn't continue watching them. Just got caught behind with life I guess. Well, over the span of 2 weeks, Aubrey and I watched them all.

She now loves Harry Potter. She cannot wait to see what attractions they have at Universal. I'm looking forward to it to, because now there is more than when we went a few years ago.

I must say, after watching all of these movies, I'm definitely do for a re-read soon. Holy crap, I forgot so much stuff. You would think I didn't read the books at all. Aubrey kept asking, why did so and so do that, or what just happened... etc..

I had no clue. I'm all like, be quiet, I don't know.. At one point, Aubrey looks over at me all skeptical, "Mom, I thought you said you read these." Ha, little smart ass. Well, I need to re read them, that much is clear.

It was a great bonding experience with her too, because I want her to like some of the things I do. I would never force anything onto her, but I just knew she would love it.

So the top things I learned while binge watching these....

~ It's time for a re-read
~ I still can't stand that bitch Bellatrix Lestrange
~ Dobby looks like Smeagol with big ears.

And last of all...

~ Harry Potter is hot.

It's the dark hair and glasses for sure. If I went to Hogwarts, I would have been all over that shit, and it has nothing to do with him being the Chosen one. lol.

Have any of you watching all the movies? No doubt, I'm way behind the times. And how about your kids? Are they HP fans as well? Oh and have you been to Universal since they added the new stuff? What can we expect?