Oh man, guys. This was the day my family (and I, in particular) had been waiting for! This was
HARRY POTTER DAY!!!
I teared up a little when I saw the castle. It was really,
really cool. The first thing we did was get wands:
(Brother = Sirius Black’s, Sister = Hermione’s), and then we rode “Flight of the Hippogriff,” which the kids really liked. We all went through the castle (though Sister and I took the early exit when it came time to get on the ride). We drank some DELICIOUS butter beer:
before boarding the Hogwarts Express and journeying to Hogsmeade.
When we arrrived, we were greeted by the Knight Bus
 |
| Although that is NOT Stan Shunpike. Brother asked. |
And 12 Grimauld Place (which Brother doesn’t know yet)
And then we entered Diagon Alley:
Wow. It was so cool and special, and the best let is that my kids were just as exited as I was! We rode the Gringotts ride (which was a long line but worth it!), and then stopped at the Magical Menagerie, where Brother got Buckbeak and sister got Crookshanks:
By now it was lunch time, and we left Diagon Alley to find lunch. We wanted to eat at the Leaky Cauldron, but even though you can’t see it, the line was crazy long and we were hungry. We ate some yummy seafood and the boys went to ride some roller coasters in the non-Harry Potter parts of the park. Sister and I browsed a few shops and watched a show, and stopped for some ice cream. When the boys were done, it was time to hook back up with the big group. Tonight was “date night” for us, so we left the kids with the big group and headed back to Hogsmeade.
Husband really wanted me to ride the ride in the castle, and someone gave us their fast passes for it! We were in and out in 15 minutes, and then we found a quiet corner, bought some drinks, and reflected on what had been an amazing trip. Truly, our kids were WONDERFUL. They could not have had a better week. I mean, they did things like this:
(telling secrets in the fort, if that wasn’t obvious). They were really wonderful, and the walking, long days, close quarters, and constant company of extended family seemed to have no effect on the two of them, for which we were profoundly thankful to God. It was clear His fingerprints were all over this trip!
Of all 5 parks we visited (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Universal), Universal ranks as follows by my family:
Husband: 1st favorite
Brother: 1st favorite
Sister: 1st favorite
Me: 1st favorite
A HUGE thank you to my in-laws for their enormous investment in this trip and our family! It was magical!
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