Universal Orlando Resort - Day 8. 15/11/2021

 Day 8 - Universal! Got up, did my test and got ready to go. I may have actually been a bit TOO prepared because I was really early so I went and grabbed a little breakfast in the resort quick service before making my way to the lobby for my pre-booked Lyft.

It took 30 minutes to get to my Universal Hotel - I’m staying here at Hard Rock for one night because it’s super close to the parks, you get early entry into the park AND at the Premier hotels, which this one is, you also get FREE UNLIMITED EXPRESS PASSES INCLUDED! For every day of your stay including your check in and check out day! It’s a really great value perk!

I had already checked in to the hotel online yesterday, so I confirmed my details, picked up my room key which is your express pass too, collected my annual pass and dropped off my backpack. Then off to the park!

It was exactly a five minute walk to the security entrance to the parks and just a couple more to Islands of Adventure. That was all. I set off from the hotel at 8.15, arrived by 8.20 and was in and onto Velocicoaster by 8.40. (By the way I recommend it you want to ride Hagrid’s always go to that first. It is the longest line in the park and does NOT really get shorter)

Velocicoaster is INTENSE! Really really great but intense!!! I loved it! I had a wander around and jumped onto the Spider-Man ride (because I love Spidey!) and Dr Doom’s Fear Fall which I don’t get because it’s a shoot up ride not a fall but okay and then The Incredible Hulk which is just ACE!

At 10am, with the exception of Hagrid’s, none of the rides had a longer line that 20 minutes. So cool. And I had my express pass so I was ready to go! Except I needed coffee and I needed to activate my photo pass too.

Tip: highly recommend you get lanyards for everyone. For some rides you have to drop everything off in a locker and you need your ticket to open that locker, but you can take a lanyard with you in the ride.

Quick (well not really! This was the longest line I stood in so far ) photo with Spidey! Had a bit of an awkward flirty but very cute encounter with him! Then then OFF TO HOGWARTS! Except still not there yet because I had to stop on the way to ride Jurassic Park River Adventure!

Finally on the way to Hogsmeade.

Note about the lockers at Universal. It seems to be like this: the small ones are free, the large ones are $2. The small ones are pretty reasonable, the held my Loungefly backpack laid down and another bag too so white spacious. HOWEVER, they are only their base price (or free) for the first 30 minutes or while you ride. After that they start to charge you $2/3 for every half an hour your stuff is in there. (the exception is the one at Jurassic Park River Adventure which is $4 and not necessary to use.) Basically I guess they’re trying to stop you just using one locker all day.

So if you can find a way to avoid using them, do. If you can’t, make sure you don’t lock away your method of payment inside the locker!

Flight if Hippogriff to see Buckbeak - what a short ride! Great for kiddos or people who aren’t mad on coasters or who have never ridden one before, but other than that I wouldn’t bother unless you have Express Pass.

Then I went round the Hogwarts Ride twice, once to see the full castle queue which is great fun and then to go through the single rider queue.

Next up a little look around Hogsmeade then onto the Hogwarts Express to Diagon alley. Riding the Esxape from Gringotts and watched the players tell the story of the three brothers which was really cool.

Then I left Diagon Alley - need to ride some more rides. I needed some lunch too but realised I have zero idea about any sort of quick service stuff at universal! Need to find something good! But first Men in Black!

If you’ve never ridden this before it’s like a more intense Buzz with proper aliens and Will Smith lol It’s great fun though!!

I stopped to have a quick lunch at Bumblebee Man’s Taco Stand in the Simpsons area. I don’t ride the rides here because the I find the Kang & Kodos one a bit boring and the other one is the only ride ever to make me feel sick!!

Oooo this brings me to a point about cutlery: you’ll see biodegradable plastic cutlery all over at Disney. Grab a few extra sets and bring them with you or bring your own if you’re coming to Universal as they do NOT provide any type of cutlery at their stands.

After lunch it was finally time for me to ride Rip Ride Rocket. Walked down past the Transformers photo op so of course I had to stop! Optimus Prime was just leaving so waited for BumbleBee- he’s a lot of fun!

Then rode RRR which was a load of fun but holy hell does it bounce you about!!! There are some great people dressed up in their Christmassy parade outfits around the parks to welcome you so I got some photos with them too and had a chat with a few of them.

I wanted to go on The Mummy too so that was next for me. Love this ride!! I think I forgot how good it is! Next up is the Transformers ride: I was trying to fit some stuff in before the Holiday parade at 5.30.

Now surely only I could get on a 3D ride and forget to take 3D glasses in with me But they were great and let me go right on again without having to go right through the queue. And actually it can’t just be me because as I went to the front of the line the guy said “glasses?” so it must happen a bunch. We’re an elite club of total idiots!!!

It’s a great ride though, very similar to the Spidey ride but with Autobots and Decepticons! YES! Just not enough actual transforming for my liking!

I also got the Express Pass lane for the Fast & Furious ride. I know this ride gets a lot of hate and even the guys that work as part of the ride take the mick out of how many times they say “family” but I still like it. Although it kind of messed up near the end of the ride and the video stopped working right where I was getting sprayed over and over with water so I might be changing my mind!

I got out in time to watch the Christmas parade and soon realised that the Universal Holiday parade is THE SLOWEST MOVING PARADE EVER because of all the balloons.

So, I brought my Cowfish reservation forward a little to 6.15 instead of 8.00 and walked along the parade route to the exit taking pictures of the parade as I went, then left to go to the restaurant, spotting that Voodoo Doughnuts was RIGHT NEARBY!!

Dinner at Cowfish was delicious and very reasonably priced, especially since I ate way more than I probably should have for one person. Check out their menu and see if it’s something you fancy, because if it is, I recommend it!

As I left I got my order ready for Voodoo and I toyed with ordering it there and then but was worried it would be ready before I got there. I should not have worried because there was a 20 minute wait for mobile ordered doughnuts. What the heck!! And this is a slow day apparently! In the end I waited almost 50 minutes.

Grabbed my doughnuts and headed back to the hotel, just a short 15 minute walk, picked up by other backpack and went to my room where I made a decaff coffee to have with my pudding!

They were good, but I don’t think 45 minutes good! I then watched a little bit of TV and went to sleep pretty early!