Dinosaurs, wizards, cars, and superheroes.

Hello after a day off!

Why a day off? We spent two days in amusement parks and that only justifies one entry (and maybe yesterday we just couldn't do anything anymore 😅). But it will probably be a bit longer because we want to tell you everything in detail.

So let's start with the preparation: we already bought the tickets in Germany and they were really something. For two days and two people, it cost a whopping 500 euros. You could have also bought an express pass, which would have cost another 500 euros. We specifically chose a Tuesday and Wednesday to encounter as few people as possible. In advance: there were so many people, we can't imagine how many there are on the weekends! The whole resort actually consists of three parks: Island of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Volcano Bay. Volcano Bay is a water park and since Marie doesn't really like water slides, we skipped it. On the first day, we decided to go to Island of Adventure.

Right at the beginning, we went on a 3D ride with Harry Potter, in Hogwarts! It was so beautifully recreated and looked simply enchanting. We were in Hogsmeade, the small sleepy village near Hogwarts. And what the creators have achieved there was truly incredible. We also hardly had to wait in line because we went straight to the single rider line.

Immediately after that, when the park was empty, we went to the Jurassic Park area and enjoyed the Velocicoaster! The roller coaster was so crazy, it kept accelerating, the roller coaster was incredibly fast and pressed you into your seat. Insane!

In between, we watched a small 3D video simulation to rest. This one was about Spiderman, how he clumsily tries to save the world as usual.

But pretty soon, the adrenaline rush took hold of us again and the Hulk Coaster was next on the agenda. Again, a very turbulent thrill.

We have to say that we had to wait 45 minutes each time. Our feet and calves were really hurting and the longest waiting time was still ahead: Hagrid's Bicycle! We waited here for a total of 80 minutes. It was endless, but it was so incredibly good. The motorcycles stop in between and you ride backward and then suddenly drop down and accelerate again. Very unique!

And then we were actually done with everything and enjoyed dinner first. It couldn't be more different: Marie wanted a turkey leg and Benny wanted pasta.

And we still had time! So we actually rode the Velocicoaster and Hagrid's Bicycle again. Simply incredible 🤗

In the evening, there was a small show in Hogsmeade, even with a little fireworks. We treated ourselves to a Butterbeer. It was great! But it was without any spirits, more like a sweet soda with marshmallow foam on top. Just the right thing for the evening! What a great conclusion to the day. It was really super cool!

Of course, we still had to walk through the park to the parking lot. By the way, we parked on the Spiderman floor. And the fun cost 25 euros for parking for a day... even though it was only 6 minutes away from the hotel. At that moment, we were just glad to sit down! Here are a few insights into the night:

And then the second day began. This time we decided to walk. Since we don't walk around the park much, it's a really great idea 😋! It was very early in the opening time and we immediately took advantage of the attractions that are usually associated with eternal queues. By the way, there's an app to see how many minutes you have to wait. Some of them even require you to store everything in small lockers and then you stand there for 60 minutes without your phone 😅 We played charades or did some nonsense. Oh, back to the point: it was still early and the park was just opening.

We started directly with a roller coaster. At the end of the day, we found out that it was the only real roller coaster. There was also a special feature: you could choose a music genre and a song title to play during the ride. Benny chose MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" and Marie rode with Fergie's "Glamorous". It's a cool idea... but this roller coaster was a bit exhausting. It went 90 degrees up (left in the picture), which was already scary enough, and then the head clattered back and forth in the seat. Marie ended up with a strained neck and was not quite right in the head anymore (some would say: business as usual). So it wasn't the most pleasant ride.

Then we went to the Jimmy Fallon Show. If we couldn't be with him in New York, then we could do it here. And it was pretty cool. A 4D ride through New York with some action! We recommend it.

We passed by the Mummy and went to Fast and the Furious. It was set up like a small museum and at some point, we were sitting in a small bus and driving through the streets with Vin Diesel and The Rock, saving the world. Another virtual roller coaster.

In between, we had a little action game at Men in Black where we shot aliens. Benny won with 145,000 to 123,000. There are rumors that he cheated, but only because Marie is such a sore loser. 😅

In the next section of the park, we arrived at Krustyland. Everything was inspired by The Simpsons and it was really cool. There was the Simpsons Ride here. While waiting, we spun a wheel modeled after Itchy and Scratchy, and the wheel spat out how we could hurt ourselves. Marie poked Benny in the eye with her finger and Benny got to kick Marie. 😅 The ride itself was again virtual, but the story was very well done. Funny to watch. Here are some more impressions.

Actually, we wanted to go to the Transformers roller coaster, and all of a sudden Spongebob crossed our path. We couldn't miss that.

And then we came to another virtual roller coaster: Transformers. Also well done, action-packed story and all the characters play a role.

Next stop was Harry Potter again. This theme area exists in both parks and you can even take the Hogwarts Express between the two. But that would have cost an extra 50 euros, so no thanks! This time, we went to Gringotts Bank and the mix of roller coaster and 4D was again really cool! We liked it a lot. The fire below was real and provided a bit of warmth after a little rain shower 🤗

And yes, what can we say. It was 2 pm and we had experienced all the adult rides. Of course, we could have done the kiddie roller coasters, but waiting 75 minutes for a kiddie ride wasn't that great. But since we could go back in with our admission ticket and parking was free after 6 pm, we decided to go back to the hotel and give our feet a break at the pool.

So we lazily lounged around when it started to rain, of course. Seriously, there were barely any clouds and it was raining. We still don't know how that worked. This is what the sky looked like:

And that's how we lazed in the sun for 2 hours and then slowly made our way back. Why did we actually go back? Yes, at 9 pm there was another closing show of the park and if we're already spending so much money there, we might as well do everything. This time we parked in the King Kong area 😃

We wanted to get a pizza on the way to the park, so we waited for almost an hour, almost arriving at the show too late. But just almost. The only problem was our grumpiness because we were hungry 😅

We still made it and were able to enjoy a festival of fountains, light show, and fireworks. It topped yesterday's show. All the characters were seen again in their colors and shapes: the Minions, Harry Potter, Fast and the Furious, Transformers, and so on... projections were shown on water fans, it was impressive! The whole thing lasted for 20 minutes and one firework followed the next. Trying to capture this spectacle failed a bit. But the important thing is that it is stored in our minds.

And so that you have an idea of how many masses of people move there every day:

We checked, around 30,000 visitors on average per park per day. That's so many people!

Overall, we liked the first day at Island of Adventure better. There was just more action and cooler stuff. The other park had more interesting themes per se, but the rides were mainly virtual and didn't have the same fun factor. However, the show on the second day was better. All in all, we are very happy, have strong foot and calf pain, and tomorrow we will go to Miami for the final part of our trip. Only one more week... It's crazy how time flies!

We wish you a nice rest of the day and send our love!

B ❤️ M