[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to two Travel Dads Podcast. Here we share our favorite destinations, travel tips, ideas for saving money, and stories from our adventures. Be sure to check out our show
[email protected]. Slash Podcast Episodes hey, welcome to another episode of Two Travel Dads podcast. I'm Rob.
[00:00:24] Speaker B: I'm Chris.
[00:00:25] Speaker A: And today we've got Universal Islands of Adventure here at the Universal Orlando Resort, which I love. I think it's one of the coolest things we've got here in Florida.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: I think it's one of the best theme parks that I've been.
[00:00:38] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Actually, I'm sorry. It's my favorite.
[00:00:42] Speaker A: There you have it. End of Episode right there. No, it really is remarkable. So we've recorded a couple other podcast episodes about universal, including one specifically about Universal Studios and another about just Universal Orlando resort as a whole. So today we're digging into Islands of adventure, its rides, what makes it so cool, everything to kind of watch for and expect in the Wizarding world of Harry Potter, which this park has the Hogsmeade section, so that's where you'll find Hogwarts and everything and. Yeah, let's dig in. I think that this theme park offers more fun and thrill than any other park we've been to.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: I'd say more fun, more thrill, even more like character encounters, because it's got a mishmash of Harry Potter and Marvel.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: Yeah, Harry Potter. There's Marvel superhero Island. There's Toon Lagoon. There is whole Jurassic World thing. Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You've got the Lost Continent section, where you've got some really cool theming. We can't forget to talk about the restaurant.
And then Seuss Landing, which I think that's where we should actually start, is talking about Seuss Landing.
[00:01:57] Speaker B: You want to start there?
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's awesome.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: One fish, two fish, redfish, blue fish.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: I do get sick on that. I get sick on everything that goes around in a circle. But Seuss Landing, I think, is the coolest, most kid friendly place I've ever been.
It's Dr. Seuss. But live in front of you. All around you.
[00:02:18] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, Wonderfully themed. They've got great brides, cute little shops to get some snacks, and it's usually when Oliver wants to go ride the Hulk, I take him to go ride the Hulk, because I can do that ride.
[00:02:30] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:30] Speaker A: And then Elliot and I will ride cat in the.
[00:02:32] Speaker B: Yeah, they go to Seuss Landing. It's their favorite thing to do.
[00:02:35] Speaker A: Well, I mean, it's got the really cool train that goes through the sky where know, hearing different stories about the sneaches and going through the alphabet, you get some really cool views. You've got the carousel cell, which is.
[00:02:49] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, well, but also, once you get off that train ride, though, that's when you get the fudge that we get to eat when we meet up with you again.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: I do love the fudge.
So we were talking about in our Universal Studios episode about how there's a lot of candy in Dygon Alley. There are more treats and good eats in Islands of adventure than over in studios, including all of the delicious fudge of all the colors that it should not be when you're in Seuss Landing. Like bright green fudge, pink fudge, all that stuff. So good, so delicious and totally worth, totally worth getting.
[00:03:25] Speaker B: And it's nice to ride that. I know it makes you sick. But the one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish is a great ride because you can also get wet. And sometimes when it's really hot at the park, you just want to cool off. And so it's fun to get on there and hope to get sprayed.
[00:03:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:39] Speaker A: No, but one of the things that I think makes Seuss Landing so great is that there are also, in addition to cool rides, the really cool theming, cool food like green eggs and ham and stuff like that. There's also a lot of mean at Christmas time. You will see the Grinch everywhere. Sam I am goes around. I've seen the LoRac thing one, thing two, thing one and thing two, cat in the hat.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: It's where it's at.
[00:04:12] Speaker A: Yeah. It's kind of like when you are in Fantasyland over in the Magic Kingdom, which we have an episode all about. Magic Kingdom, too. Yeah, it's really incredible that there's actually lots and lots of characters there.
[00:04:24] Speaker B: And it's just a good spot to take kids because I think that's what's lacking over at Universal Studios is a really great kids area.
[00:04:32] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: And that's what Seuss Landing is.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: I agree. Well, and so other great kid friendly area is Marvel Superhero Island. So that is just kind of across the lagoon from Seuss Landing. And it's interesting. So if you go to Disneyland, there's the whole Marvel Avengers campus, and that's in California, and you'll see Spider Man. And they've got all the Marvel stuff going on. Know, Disney owns Marvel, but once upon a time, Marvel was not owned by Disney, and they struck up a deal with Universal to create Superhero Island. And as long as that exists and that contract continues to get renewed. There won't be Marvel characters over in Disney World that are featured in superhero Island.
[00:05:21] Speaker B: Interesting. If you want your superheroes, go to Universal.
[00:05:23] Speaker A: Yeah. So in Florida, that's where you'll find your superheroes. But there's some really great rides there, but some really cool character encounters, too. So the best looking Captain America and best looking Spider Man I've ever seen were there in superhero Island. Like, way better than what I've seen in Disneyland. And then they've got the whole cafe four experience where you get to go in and have actual character dining with.
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Oh, that's where we got the best pictures of the kids with Rogue and.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Yeah, all the X Men.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: All the X Men.
[00:05:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: It's so cool. The characters are kind of off the hook in Islands of adventure. I think it is part of what makes it such a cool place. But anyways, since we're talking about superhero island, what's your favorite ride over there?
[00:06:11] Speaker B: Oh, gosh.
Now is the Velociraptor.
[00:06:16] Speaker C: No.
[00:06:17] Speaker A: Superhero Island.
[00:06:17] Speaker B: Oh, superhero Island.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: So my favorite is Spider Man.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: I was going to say I think it's Spider Man.
[00:06:24] Speaker A: I think the Spider Man Ride is Super awesome. It's very similar to the Transformers ride in Universal Studios Florida. And it's not at all like Slingers, which is at the Marvel Avengers campus in Disneyland. This is very, very different. This is so cool. Really cool comic book effects. I love it.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. And the queuing is really great.
[00:06:48] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: And while I do Spider man is amazing, I have to take it back because for me, it is Incredible Hulk coaster.
[00:06:55] Speaker C: And.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: I know, but it's so fast and it's so fun.
[00:07:00] Speaker A: The gforce on the Hulk is something.
[00:07:03] Speaker B: Oliver, and I do it all the time.
[00:07:04] Speaker A: I can't do it anymore. My body can't handle it.
[00:07:07] Speaker B: I will say it's not the smoothest coaster. So that's why we'll talk about it. Velociraptor is so smooth. If they could find some way to retrofit the Hulk coaster to be smooth like that, it would be amazing. Because I will say my neck hurts just a little bit getting off that ride because you got to really hold yourself. But it's so much fun.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Or, like, smooth. Like Iron Gwazi over in bush Gardens. That's another smooth, because that one is amazing. But, yeah, the Hulk is really cool. And one of the things that I like about it, even though I don't like to ride it, is I like to hang out and wait for them. And Elliot and I will hang out underneath one of the loops and watch everybody go over us where the mist and the splashes. Yeah, it's so cool.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Oliver loves going through the mist.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
It's a remarkable roller coaster. I will give it that, even though it's not my favorite thing to do. So moving right along, talking about kid friendly stuff and stuff, that really is just awesome.
Over in the whole Toon Lagoon area, there are two astoundingly wonderful soaking wet water rides. Like you've never gotten wet on a water ride until you have done the bilge rat barges.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: It's my favorite. It's so much fun.
[00:08:13] Speaker A: Ripsaw Falls, those are my two absolute favorites.
[00:08:16] Speaker B: When you're hot and you need to cool off or just to have a lot of fun because you just don't know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, who's going to get hit with water. It's just so much fun. And as Oliver would say, it's very suspensive as you're going on that ride.
[00:08:32] Speaker A: Which do you like more, Ripsaw Falls or build rep barges?
[00:08:35] Speaker B: Build drug barges.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: So build rap barges is the Popeye themed ride, which. It's funny because our kids are young enough that Popeye has not been a part of their lives whatsoever. They don't care. They still love it. It's super cool.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: And it's one of those ones where it's like the big, call it a big inner tube, right, that you're going down like a river and falls and bouncing around. It's got the big wheel handlebar in the middle. So it's that type of water ride.
[00:09:02] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:02] Speaker A: So like Animal Kingdom at Disney World, they've got the Collie River Rapids. And then Busch Gardens over in Tampa has the Conga River Rapids. In California, adventure at Disneyland, they've got grizzly River Rapids, and here they've got bilgerat barges. And this one, all of those is the best.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: The best, hands down. It's so much fun.
[00:09:21] Speaker A: And then Ripsoff Falls, which is across the walkway, which I do really like.
[00:09:25] Speaker B: I love Ripsaw Falls.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: It's like Rocky Bullwinkle, like Dudley do write themed.
[00:09:29] Speaker B: It's so cool.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: It's hilarious to go through just because it's so ridiculous, but it has the best drops. So it's a flume ride. Just like Splash Mountain is a flume ride. And you will not be dry.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: You won't be dry.
[00:09:44] Speaker A: No part of you will be dry your entire being.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: The point is to get wet. Now, if you are riding these rides, like, let's say it's your one time shot to visit Florida and go to Universal, and you're like, I got to ride these rides. And you do get soaked. They have these human dryers that you can pay to go in, and it just blasts warm air at you.
[00:10:05] Speaker A: I thought you were going to say you got lockers that you can rent, because there's no.
[00:10:08] Speaker B: There are lockers, but you still will get wet. And obviously you can get ponchos. Right. But Ponchos.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: And it doesn't do any good on those because the way that the ride vehicles are designed, you get wet from underneath.
No.
[00:10:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: Ponchos are a waste of money.
[00:10:24] Speaker B: And we've talked about this before, but you can't go wrong with a nice pair of keens.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:10:29] Speaker A: Keens are the best theme park shoes. They're the best shoes for Hawaii, they're the best for theme parks. They're the best for working in the.
[00:10:38] Speaker B: Just. They're not the best if you're in winter, unless you get the nice winter keens, which I do have my great keen snowbirds.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: We have to pack those this.
[00:10:48] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: But, yeah, no, keens are great for Universal Studios.
[00:10:53] Speaker C: So. Yeah.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: So that's what's going on in Toon Lagoon. There's lots of other things there that.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: We don't do, I don't think.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Well, no, there's shops and restaurants that are all very vintage comic book themed, like Cathy and Prince Valiant and Haggar the Horrible.
[00:11:08] Speaker B: Haggar the horrible, that's right. Yeah. Remember Sunday, your Sunday comic strip? Right. You're going to enjoy that.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: That's exactly what it is. Like. The kids are like, I don't know what this is, but it's because.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: And I don't feel like it's dated.
[00:11:20] Speaker A: No, it's really cool for being stuff that we don't even get a paper, but for being stuff that is from our childhood, it still looks totally fresh and fun.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: It is fun, yeah.
[00:11:32] Speaker A: And also, there's water that sprays everywhere as you walk through to lagoon, so you can't go wrong on hot day. Good times.
Moving right along real quick.
[00:11:43] Speaker C: What?
[00:11:44] Speaker B: Is there a water ride in Universal Studios? Is that one big difference?
[00:11:49] Speaker A: Oh, you're right. Universal Studios Florida does not have any water rides whatsoever.
[00:11:54] Speaker B: No. And they even took out the curious George land, so you can't cool off.
[00:11:57] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Ooh, that's a great call out. Hot summer day. And that's why you should get passes for Volcano Bay in conjunction with Universal Studios or stay in a hotel really close by so you can go swim because it's so hot. Next up, after you get out of Toon Lagoon, is this kind of funky zone, like a Nomad zone where you've got Kong, Skull Island. It kind of doesn't fit anything, but it also is kind of.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: Isn't it, like on your way to Jurassic park, though?
[00:12:26] Speaker A: Yeah, it kind of is a smooth transition into world.
[00:12:29] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:12:30] Speaker A: But Kong is pretty cool. It's got amazing effects. It's another one of those immersive rides. But it's immersive in a totally different way. Like, it's not in front of you, it's happening all around you.
[00:12:42] Speaker B: Yeah. On both sides.
[00:12:45] Speaker A: The queue is scarier than the Ride itself. The queue is terrifying. The kids scream.
[00:12:49] Speaker B: I think it's scarier than the mummy. I mean, I wouldn't scream. I mean, it's a ride line. But there's skulls and skeletons.
[00:12:57] Speaker A: There's some dark, creepy people.
[00:12:59] Speaker B: Flames. Yeah. And some people scream.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: The lights go down really low and there's chanting. That gets really loud.
[00:13:07] Speaker B: But it's a fun ride. It is pretty cool.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: It's build up that doesn't match the rest of the ride.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: This is true. But sometimes you'll see, like, oh, look, there's like a 90 minutes wait for Kong for some weird reason, and then just wait it out, not in line, because all of a sudden I feel like an hour later, you'll see it's like 40 minutes.
[00:13:26] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:27] Speaker A: Or less.
[00:13:27] Speaker B: Or 30.
It goes in waves.
[00:13:30] Speaker A: I feel like the ride counters in Universal parks are not accurate.
[00:13:37] Speaker B: No, I think they're always inflated.
[00:13:39] Speaker A: I think they're terribly inflated. Like Disney World.
[00:13:42] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:13:42] Speaker A: If it says 90 minutes, you're probably going to wait 60 to 90 minutes. Universal. If it says 90 minutes, you're probably waiting 40 minutes.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: That's true. But I feel like at the end of the day, we get to ride more rides based on our time at Universal compared to Disney World.
[00:13:58] Speaker A: And that's not just because we've been there lots and are really well versed in how to get around, it's because it just does move faster.
[00:14:04] Speaker B: That's true.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: But anyway, so after Kong, you are there in Jurassic World.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: Which Jurassic World is cool?
[00:14:12] Speaker A: It's really cool.
[00:14:14] Speaker B: There's a character encounter there.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: There is. I love it.
[00:14:18] Speaker B: You get to meet Blue. Right?
[00:14:19] Speaker A: There's actually two character encounters. So there's blue and then you also get to meet a cute little baby triceratops.
[00:14:26] Speaker B: Oh, that's right. They were holding it.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: It's adorable. It is the coolest puppet.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Little animatronic.
[00:14:33] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. It's so cute, and you can pet it and meet it. And Elliot thinks it's just the greatest thing ever. The encounter with blue, the Velociraptor is a little bit more intense because it's really incredible. It's a little too realistic sometimes, and it loves to jump at you. But, I mean, if you've got a kid with you who is down for it, wait through the line to meet Blue. It's totally cool.
But there's other things there in Jurassic World, too, not just characters. There's, of course, the Jurassic Park River Adventure, which is like an original ride. I remember it was classic.
[00:15:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:14] Speaker A: When I was little, we went to Universal Studios Hollywood, and I went on it right after it opened. I screamed so much. I still remember my first time ever writing that in California. And the terror of it lives in me to this day.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: I still can't wait to go to the one in. Do we see it's in Hong Kong or Shang?
[00:15:36] Speaker A: No, Singapore.
[00:15:37] Speaker B: Singapore. Where actually there's a T Rex that actually chases you.
[00:15:40] Speaker A: Yeah, it's not on a track. There's like a free roaming animatronic T Rex or Spinosaurus or something like that.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: How to get there?
[00:15:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:15:48] Speaker A: So we need to go Singapore. But that's not what this episode I know podcast is about. Our river adventure is really great. You only get wet if you're in the front row, so don't stress. It's super fun. Kids will scream, which is awesome. Always a favorite.
The other thing about it, though, so if you've been. I know. I'm making a lot of comparisons to universal Hollywood.
They redid the Jurassic Park River Adventure in Hollywood to now have some really cool other underwater stuff that ties in the new Jurassic World movies. They've not done that here at Islands of Adventure yet.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: No. It's pretty classic.
[00:16:26] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: But it still is great. It's still fun. It could use an update, but who cares?
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Yeah, but it's still fun.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: It's vintage.
One of the funny rides, actually. So there's a lot in Jurassic World. So before we start to talk about the big ride, there's also the Tyrannodon Flyers, which you can only do as an adult if you are accompanying a child. And thank goodness we've got kids because it is one of my favorite rides. It only lasts, like, maybe 40 seconds, but it's just a hang glider that takes you up and then you get a soar views in the park. Yeah, I love it. That's great. So, yeah, take a kid, and you will have a great time on the trand. On FlyErs.
[00:17:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: Two kids can go an adult and kid could go two adults.
[00:17:16] Speaker A: No, definitely not two adults. And then right there, there's also a really great outdoor play area.
Islands of Adventure is so much better for little kids than studios. It really is. The whole Jurassic park playground is amazing. It's got a ropes course and cool things that spray, and you can look for Amber in the caves. And I love it.
[00:17:39] Speaker B: The kids do, too.
[00:17:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
And now the thing that everybody has been excited about and we've got to.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: Do so many times, Velociraptor is so amazing.
[00:17:48] Speaker A: The Velocicoaster.
[00:17:50] Speaker B: Oh, sorry. That's what I meant to say. The Velocicoaster. I know you kept on saying with velociraptors.
[00:17:54] Speaker A: Yes, exactly. So we got to do it for annual pass holder preview. And then since then, we've got to do it several other times, including. So Elliot, who's our youngest, he just barely meet the height requirement.
[00:18:09] Speaker B: He was so.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: So at first, he was so scared. So Chris and Oliver were up there, and they were going through, and I was like, oh, it's fine. I'll just sit here in the child swap area, and we'll watch Camp Cretaceous, and then Elliot will swap, and he'll go with Chris. And one of the things that's great about how they do child swap, which, if you don't know what that is, it's where if you've got a little kid who's too small or doesn't want to do a ride, it's like a special waiting area where a parent can wait with that child, and then the other parent can take another child, and then they swap it out, and then that other child. This is what makes it so cool. The kid who did want to go on it gets to go twice, which is so cool and loves it. So, like, Chris will take him, and then we'll swap spots, and then I'll take him again. And he thinks he's just such a baller, but anyways, no. So I was sitting in there watching camp Cretaceous in the child swap area with Elliot, and then he just kind of looks at me. He's like, I guess I'll go.
And the team member that heard him was like, okay, let's measure you. And so she came over and measured him, and he cleared it. And before he could change his mind, we went up and got on it. And then as we got locked in, it's a really different sort of roller coaster seat. It's kind of like what old roller coaster seats were like.
[00:19:28] Speaker B: Yeah, there's no shoulder harness. It's just a lap bar, but a very pure lap bar. And you're very snug in the seats.
[00:19:37] Speaker A: Yeah, you are very snug. But it is just a lap bar.
Which kind of, when I went on it with Elliot, that kind of tricked him into thinking it wasn't going to be too intense because he was like, oh, it doesn't even go over my shoulders. I can do this.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: But we knew that it had loops.
[00:19:51] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:19:51] Speaker A: So then you start it and we're not going to get into the detail of what happens on it. But it is an incredible coaster. So does that two launches or three launches?
[00:20:02] Speaker B: I think maybe three.
[00:20:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:04] Speaker A: So it goes so fast, so quickly.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: But like I was talking about earlier, this coaster is smooth. Yeah, it is smooth. So even though it's got all of your corkscrews and loops and upside down hanging spots, which is awesome.
It's so smooth. And you don't get off feeling like your neckhead.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: There's some G's in there, too.
[00:20:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:31] Speaker A: But it's amazing. Whatever technology that they use on those ride vehicles, man, put that on every roller coaster.
[00:20:39] Speaker B: That coaster is awesome.
[00:20:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
And with that, the queue is really cool on that one, too. We always talk about the queues. If you don't know what a queue is, a queue is the line you wait in to go on a ride.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: Q-U-E-U-E.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: Exactly. So the queue for Velocicoaster, super cool. And you get to see some velociraptors up close.
Amazing.
So one last land to kind of conquer and then we could talk about some food stuff. Right.
The wizarding world of Harry Potter. Hogsmead is located in Islands of Adventure and it is incredible.
While Diagon Alley only has that one primary ride, Hogsmead actually has what it's got Hagrid's magical creature motorbike adventure. It has Harry Potter's forbidden journey where you're in Hogwarts. It's got the flight of the hippogriff and then there's also the Hogwarts Express comes in there and all that's just right there in Hogsmeade. So it's got four attractions in that land.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: Yeah, four attractions. But then a huge area, too, that really looks like you're in the Wizarding world of Harry Potter.
[00:22:02] Speaker A: Yeah, it's pretty great. With also really good food.
Universal does their food really well. They do have good food, and I really enjoy the three broomsticks. It's not as good as the leaky Cauldron, but it is quite acceptable.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: It is mean. Well, we're talking about the Wizarding world, so we'll save the other restaurant. But there is one award winning theme park restaurant in. Yeah, that is usually our go to.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: Yes. But if you're in wizarding.
I can't say it.
[00:22:33] Speaker B: It's hard. Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
[00:22:37] Speaker A: If you're in the Wizarding world of Harry Potter, the Three Broomsticks is a great option. And then also the Hogshead is right there, too, which is really cool if you're an adult, because it is the Harry Potter bar where you can get special beers that you can only get in Hogshead.
[00:22:53] Speaker B: I've never been there.
[00:22:54] Speaker A: Yes, you have. With me to Hogshead. Yeah, I promise you've been there. It has the big Hogshead on there. That was the place that we got butterbeer that very first time when the kids tried it and they were grossed out by it. That was in Hogshead.
[00:23:09] Speaker B: Oh, okay. So kids can go there.
[00:23:12] Speaker A: Kids can go there.
[00:23:13] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:23:13] Speaker A: Sorry. Did I say they couldn't?
[00:23:14] Speaker B: You said they couldn't. So that's why I was confused, because I hadn't been to an adults only place.
[00:23:18] Speaker A: Yeah, well, Hogshead is pretty darn cool. And it's got some nice outdoor seating, which kind of gets you away from the crowds in Hogsmead because it gets pretty busy in there. And it's nice to be able to grab your beer and then go sit on the back patio and still be immersed in Harry Potter, but then also have kind of a slight view into the rest of the park.
[00:23:38] Speaker B: Got it.
[00:23:39] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:23:39] Speaker A: I think it's pretty. So of all the rides, though, in Hogsmeade, which is your favorite?
[00:23:45] Speaker B: Oh, it's definitely Hagrid's. Hagrid's.
[00:23:49] Speaker A: Hagrid's is amazing. So we were talking about the velocity coaster being smoOth. Hagrid's is also smooth. And it's a very different sort of coaster.
It's, again, it's only got the lap. What do you call. Not lap buckle?
[00:24:05] Speaker B: I call it lap bar.
[00:24:06] Speaker A: Lap bar lap restraint.
And on one side of it, you get to hold on to handlebars. And if you're the passenger.
[00:24:12] Speaker B: Like you're a motorcycle?
[00:24:13] Speaker A: Yeah, like it's a motorcycle. And then if you're the passenger, you get to sit in the sidecar and just, like, hold on for dear life. But it's really cool. It has several different accelerations just like velocicoaster does. But it goes through this whole. Not necessarily a complete story, but it feels very story element esque in that you get to see Hagrid, you get to see lots of different creatures. You get to experience the ride backwards a little bit.
[00:24:43] Speaker B: Yeah. You can't give away that.
[00:24:45] Speaker A: There are some really great surprises.
[00:24:47] Speaker B: Surprise you.
I think it's the boys favorite.
[00:24:51] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. If it says 120 minutes, they'll wait for it.
[00:24:57] Speaker B: But sometimes you can get. What is it like when you have the app open and you want to reserve a spot in line?
[00:25:03] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:25:03] Speaker A: So Hagrid's and I think if you don't, you can do the virtual queue.
[00:25:08] Speaker B: Virtual queue. That's what it is. That's very helpful.
[00:25:10] Speaker A: Instead of having this crazy, crazy line that winds all the way out of Hogsmead and into the whole lost continent. That's kind of like the Greek section of the park. You can do the virtual queue, which I think they open it. It's every like 2 hours or something like that when the park opens. And then they do it again at eleven and then they open it again at one.
You can basically save your spot. And then when you come back you just show them, oh, I'm in this virtual queue with these people. And then they let you into the actual queue. So instead of having to wait through the entire craziness of it, you still have to wait a significant amount of time but not quite so bad and. Yeah, good call. I forgot about that.
[00:25:49] Speaker B: Yeah, that's very helpful.
[00:25:51] Speaker A: Another ride that I do enjoy. It's funny, it only lasts 17 seconds.
[00:25:56] Speaker B: Flight of the hip grip.
[00:25:57] Speaker A: Flight of hip grip. I think it's awesome.
[00:26:00] Speaker B: It's a good filler ride.
[00:26:01] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:02] Speaker A: I mean, it looks like you're riding in a wicker basket, which is hilarious. But it is a tiny roller coaster that really packs a punch. And it is only 17 seconds and it's so cool. You get great views of Hogwarts and across Hogsmeade. It's fun. I love it. It's worth the 15 minutes wait because it's never really more than that, even if it is.
[00:26:23] Speaker B: Yeah. And the kids love it.
[00:26:24] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:24] Speaker A: And then the last ride that's in there is the Harry Potter's Forbidden journey, which.
[00:26:29] Speaker B: Oh, I love that.
[00:26:31] Speaker A: Well, the best part of that.
[00:26:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:34] Speaker A: And you get a wander through Hogwarts and you actually get to go through all of these places that you are totally familiar with because they look exactly like the movie.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: So cool.
[00:26:42] Speaker A: From like Dumbledore's study to the hall with all the paintings.
[00:26:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I was going to say all the talking paintings.
[00:26:48] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:49] Speaker A: Gosh, it's really cool.
[00:26:50] Speaker B: And Jennifer French, of course.
[00:26:51] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:52] Speaker A: So I think that if you get nauseous, you could probably write it once and call it good.
If you get nauseous and just want to go through the whole Hogwarts experience, do that and then don't board the ride. It's that simple. It's worth going through the whole queue just to see it and it's amazing. But you don't have to ride it if you don't want to because you will get sick. It's one of those immersive experiences that is mixed with real life action.
[00:27:20] Speaker B: So it's so cool.
[00:27:22] Speaker A: You might all of a sudden be upside down, but then you're like trying.
[00:27:25] Speaker B: To catch a snitch.
[00:27:26] Speaker A: Yeah, it's amazing and nauseating.
So anyway, so let's chat now since I think we covered all the attractions.
[00:27:34] Speaker B: In the park, most of them, I feel like.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, so we didn't talk about it in this episode, but we did in our Universal Studios One, Hogwarts Express. So you also, you can catch that in Hogsmead and it will take you back over to Universal Studios into the Diagon Alley area.
But you can only ride that if you have a ticket for both parks. So like I said, we already talked about this in another episode, but you can't just like, if you have a one park one day ticket that is only good for Islands of adventure, you can't use that to ride the Hogwarts Express. So if that's something that's important to you, it's something where you have to either have your annual pass or you need to have a ticket that is for two parks in one day. There's lots of different types of tickets that you can get. So as long as you've got one that allows you to hop back and forth between parks, you can ride the Hogwarts Express, but you can't just show up and be like, hey, it's a ride in this park, I'm going to ride it. You have to have the right type.
[00:28:31] Speaker B: Of ticket and it'll let you know.
[00:28:33] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly.
So food.
There's lots and lots of food.
[00:28:38] Speaker B: There's a lot of options.
[00:28:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:41] Speaker B: And we don't frequent them all.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: We don't frequent them all, but there's a few that I've been to a couple of times. So we talked about three broomsticks. That's in Hogsmead. That's good.
You want to talk about your favorite?
[00:28:54] Speaker B: Yeah, my favorite is mythos. So it's actually an award winning, full service restaurant, and it's in this really amazing place. It's like a carved out, like, rock sculpture. It's super cool.
[00:29:13] Speaker A: It looks like a whole bunch of Greek gods that are spilling waterfalls out of its mouth.
[00:29:17] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:29:17] Speaker B: And when you go through the entrance to, it's like you're going into a cave through these tunnels, and it's like you're in a cavern in terms of where you're.
[00:29:25] Speaker A: But then there's beautiful mosaic tile work and sculptures inside.
[00:29:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And you can eat either inside or outside, which is great. And then they have really great food. So the quality of the food is good. And you can get, like, handhelds. You can also get, like, entrees. The quality of the food is worth the price. So when you look at some of the prices, you're spending maybe like $2 more than you would at one of the pickup food places, which has less than desirable food right outside.
Highly recommend. Reservations.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: Totally.
[00:29:57] Speaker B: Although sometimes you can just squeeze a spot in, too, at the same time if you just go up and ask.
[00:30:01] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:30:01] Speaker A: So kind of like we were mentioning it with the Universal City Walk, dining reservations in theme parks have really become an important thing. So whether you're doing universal or Disney World or Disneyland, whatever it is, actually making your reservations as soon as you know that you're going to be in the park is a really smart way to make sure you can actually have a nice sit down meal instead of having to do some sort of grab and go. And Mythos, gosh, they book out pretty far in advance. There's been times when I've called a couple of weeks in advance and they're like, no, we don't have anything until six, or something like that. So it's totally worth it to eat there.
The other place that I really like, and I've been there a couple of times, is confisco, which is.
[00:30:44] Speaker B: Isn't towards the entrance.
[00:30:45] Speaker A: Yeah, it's what they call the port of entry area. And it just looks like this kind of magical, whimsical, explorers like kind of boulevard. There's lots of shops and some other restauranty things. There's a really cool Christmas store there.
[00:30:59] Speaker B: Oh, that's right.
[00:31:00] Speaker A: But no, Confisco actually has a really wonderful, really diverse menu. Really good food. If you have an annual pass, they've got a special kind of area for you, so you might have better luck being able to get a meal but I really like confisco for. It's got Asian food, Middle Eastern food.
[00:31:23] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:31:24] Speaker A: It's got American food.
[00:31:25] Speaker B: It's got great variety. I think we went, I can't speak. We went there with mom and Dad.
[00:31:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
And then I've been there with friends also. And one of the things about it, though, is that confisco is consistently the coldest place in Islands of Adventure. Like, if you're going to dine there, make sure you have a jacket, because on a hot day, its AC works better than anywhere else in the park.
[00:31:50] Speaker B: Good to know when it's really hot outside.
[00:31:52] Speaker A: Yeah. So that can be something that is just a lifesaver for some people and can be so uncomfortable for others.
Is there anything else that you think we need to talk about with Islands of Adventure? I think we really, we covered a.
[00:32:05] Speaker B: Lot, and I think we covered our highlights about it.
[00:32:09] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:32:09] Speaker A: The only other thing that I would kind of hit on one more time, because we talked about this in the studios episode and our other Universal Orlando Resort episode is the Express Pass is something that you can add on to your ticket. And I think it can be totally worth it if you want to make sure that you can get on all the rides you want to do.
[00:32:30] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:32:31] Speaker A: Express has gone up in price. Holy moly. So Universal Express, while it used to be just $50, looks like it is now about $90 a day.
Or for the unlimited, where you can. So the standard one, you can't just ride the same ride over and over and over. Like, you can have an express entrance, like once to each ride, like that. The unlimited one, which is $100 per person per day. That one, you can do anything as many times as you want. And it doesn't necessarily put you at the very front of the line, but you get to go through the Express line, which jumps you way ahead of everybody else. So I would say it saves you 80% on your time.
[00:33:14] Speaker B: Yeah. And because we're local, I would never buy it. Yeah, but if we weren't local and we're spending already kind of a chunk of change to go have dollars for a universal vacation, I would have to have that to make sure I could maximize the time at the park, for sure.
[00:33:32] Speaker A: And I mentioned this in a different episode, too, is that if you're staying in one of the premium resort hotels, which is like Portofino or the Hard Rock, you can book your stay to include Express Pass. And that actually can be a huge savings for you because, I mean, if you're spending $90 a person times four people for two or three days. The amount that you will save by booking a premium resort that includes it is totally worth it. So might as well book the nicer place if you're going to be buying that anyways. All right, I think that's everything. I think we have exhausted everything that we can talk about with Universal Orlando until Epic Universe opens in the future, which we are not close to that yet. So maybe we'll have some time. Yeah, we've got some timE.
Stay tuned or tune back in for more stuff all about Orlando and Florida and national parks. We've got a lot of things happening. We're actually getting ready to go to Maine in the winter, so I'm sure we'll record a podcast episode about that because it's going to be freezing, so cold, but it's going to be beautiful. So stay tuned. Be sure you subscribe to us on iTunes, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. And if you have anything you want us to record an episode about, go over to the
[email protected] and leave us a message or a comment and we will happily consider it and produce an episode about right. All right, have a good rest of your day and we will see you later.
[00:35:00] Speaker B: See ya.
[00:35:02] Speaker A: Two Travel Dads Podcast is written by Rob and Chris Taylor and produced by Rob Taylor in Suquamish, Washington. If you would like to be on Two Travel Dads podcast or sponsor it, please visit
[email protected] Slash work.
