We’ll start with the worst.   Virtual reality rides makes me sick to my stomach.   So guess what the first thing we did today was?   Yep.   Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the signature ride in the Wizarding World area, is a virtual reality ride.   Very cool, very realistic, but it took me half the day to recover.

And the best?   I have somehow managed to be lucky enough to wind up with kids who echo my likes and dislikes when it comes to travel and attractions, almost exactly.   I would say this is because I made a point to travel all over the place with them from the time they were small, but I think a large part of it is luck.    After I spent the morning concentrating on not losing my 3 Broomsticks breakfast, during which Maya and Ben were nothing but empathetic, I rallied after lunch and had a great time on the Jurassic Park River Adventure and the Ripsaw Falls ride.   Then at about 2pm both kids looked at me and said, “We’re kind of ready to head back to the hotel and go to the pool.”   My thoughts exactly!!

Another good part of the day, before the Forbidden Journey, was entering “Hogsmeade”  just after 8am.   If you stay in one of the Universal Hotels you get early entrance.   No lines, no hassle, and best of all, great photos like these:

The Hogwarts Express

Hogsmeade, the way it really should look, sans tourists with fanny packs

Hogwarts in gorgeous morning light

Outside Honeydukes. I do a good job not looking nauseated!

So Hogwarts was fun – could have been better for me – but we are no doubt water ride fans above all.   And water slides.   And pools that are warm enough for Maya to not need her wetsuit.

The best part about our hotel is without a doubt the pool.

On to Disney tomorrow!