Our day at Universal Studios Florida with kids, including Diagon Alley, Escape from Gringotts, Leaky Cauldron, E.T., Jimmy Fallon, Toothsome, and our final morning at Universal Orlando.
Catch Up:
If you missed my first post about our trip, you can read about our stay at Loews Royal Pacific Resort, pool hopping, and arrival day here: Universal Orlando Arrival Day. And our Islands of Adventure Day here! Going to Disney too? You might also like my Disney Tips blog post!
A Slower Start
After our early rope-drop adventure at Islands of Adventure the day before, we intentionally slowed things down for our second park day.
One thing I loved about the rhythm of this trip was that every day felt a little different. After waking up super early for Hagrid’s the day before, sleeping in felt luxurious.
We grabbed another quick breakfast from Tuk Tuk Market at Royal Pacific. By this point we’d settled into a routine of coffee, fruit, yogurt, and a few treats for the boys before heading out.
Water taxi ride over:
Universal Studios
Unlike Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida does not offer Early Park Admission with Royal Pacific, so we took our time getting ready.
We arrived around 9:30 a.m., about 30 minutes before the official 10:00 opening.
The crowds weren’t bad at all. We were let into different sections of the park in stages, and everyone seemed to be heading toward the same destination we were. I felt like we were in a 5K race all walking together.
Straight to Diagon Alley
Our plan was simple: go directly to Diagon Alley and ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts before the crowds arrived.
We made it all the way to the Express Pass line and thought we had beaten the system. Then history repeated itself. About ten minutes after we entered the queue, an announcement came over the speakers that the ride was shutting down temporarily and everyone would need to exit. After Hagrid’s delay the day before, we couldn’t believe our luck. We decided to explore Diagon Alley and hope Gringotts re-opened soon.
Exploring Diagon Alley
Diagon Alley absolutely exceeded my expectations. The details are everywhere. Shop windows move. Signs talk. Hidden corners lead to surprises. The entire area feels like stepping into the movies. Even the entrance is somewhat hidden – you would miss it if you weren’t looking for it!
The boys used their interactive wand to cast spells, including making it rain!
One of our favorite discoveries was Knockturn Alley, the dark and mysterious side street tucked away from the crowds. It was shockingly dark inside, exactly how I’d imagined it from the books.
Mazen spent quite a bit of time exploring Borgin and Burkes, the Dark Arts shop. He ended up choosing two shirts as his souvenirs – one with the dark mark and the other with the Deathy Hallows on it.
Escape from Gringotts
Right before we were about to sit down to lunch, I got the alert that Gringotts had reopened! We immediately dropped what we were doing and ran back. This time we only waited about fifteen minutes.
The queue inside Gringotts Bank is incredible. The goblin animatronics and marble bank decor are so realistic.
The ride was my favorite attraction of the entire trip. I wasn’t sure what Birch would think because there’s a surprising coaster-style drop near the beginning. But he loved it! It was exciting, a little scary, incredibly immersive, and one of those rides that makes everyone step off smiling. We all clapped when it ended!
Lunch at Leaky Cauldron
By lunchtime, the weather was still surprisingly cool. Mazen and I both ordered fish and chips at Leaky Cauldron, which really hit the spot.
We also tried Hot Butterbeer. It tasted like a Butterbeer latte and was perfect for the chilly morning.
Afternoon Attractions
With our Harry Potter priorities checked off, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the rest of the park. Universal has much more of a movie-studio feel than Islands of Adventure, which leans more heavily into rides and themed lands.
Birch isn’t crying; he’s just squinting!
Springfield
The Simpsons area was so much fun to see in person. They had Moe’s, Kwik-e-mart, and more famous Simpsons places. We rode the ride there, which was like a 3D planetarium dome-screen. Very fun!
Mazen especially loved this area. He even tried a non-alcoholic Duff beer. (It tasted like orange gatorade.)
Birch and I rode Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl, the spinning alien ride, while M crushed his Duff.
E.T. Adventure
This was my nostalgia pick. I remembered riding E.T. when I was younger, and I was thrilled to find that it still has all the charm I remembered. The boys loved it too.
Between the smell of the forest, the practical effects, and the gentle pace, it felt completely different from all the screen-based attractions we’d been riding. Who wouldn’t love this one!
DreamWorks Land
We kind of breezed through the DreamWorks area. The Trolls coaster was cute and family-friendly. B loved it. Trolls is one of my top kids movies.
Revenge of the Mummy
We used Child Swap for Revenge of the Mummy since it was quite scary. The line was surprisingly short so we were in and out. The ride itself was fun, fast, and the flames were scary. While I enjoyed it, it also felt a little dated compared to some of Universal’s newer rides.
Transformers
The boys liked Transformers much more than I did. For me, it was simply too much action happening at once. I do not like action or superhero movies.
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon
One of the biggest surprises of the entire trip was Jimmy Fallon. We were told it wasn’t a great one, but I love Jimmy so I wanted to do it. The entire theater moves together while you race through New York City, and the visuals are incredibly realistic. All three of us had a great time on this one.
Minions
After loving some of the other simulator attractions, this one didn’t stand out quite as much for us. It was fine, but by this point we’d already experienced several rides that felt bigger and more impressive. I felt like we just got bumped around.
Back to Diagon Alley
Before leaving the park, we headed back to Diagon Alley one last time to ride Gringotts again! This time the wait was about twenty minutes with the Express Passes.
We also tried Butterbeer ice cream, wandered through the shops one final time, and soaked up the atmosphere before saying goodbye.
Reset at the Hotel
After another full park day, we walked back to Royal Pacific, showered, and attempted to look presentable again.
Look how cute they are!!
Dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
For our final night, we had dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. I had originally only been able to get a 7:45pm reservation, but was able to move it up to 7:15 the morning of.
The building is a giant steampunk-inspired restaurant filled with elaborate desserts and towering milkshakes. It’s like Willy Wonka!
I ordered a salmon salad and a glass of rosé. The salad was great!
We played a “guess the character” drawing game during dinner.
For dessert, we shared two of the famous milkshakes. (Fair warning: they were $20 each!!) Everything was enormous.
Birch ate my slice of cake while I attacked the milkshake. By the end of the meal, we were completely stuffed, so I could only finish half of it. I really wanted to have it all!
One thing Universal does exceptionally well is novelty. Whether it’s Butterbeer, interactive wands, themed restaurants, or giant milkshakes, there is always something fun around the corner.
How we felt after all that sugar:
One Last Morning
I was so glad we had a mid-afternoon flight because we had time for another adventure before heading to the airport.
Birch and I took the water taxi to Voodoo Doughnuts for breakfast and headed over to Portofino Bay for one last swim.
The resort really does feel like a little slice of Italy. It was quiet, beautiful, and incredibly relaxing.
The only downside was that the pool felt much colder than Royal Pacific’s. Apparently the heaters had been turned off. The waterslide was still fun, though, and we made a few trips down before heading back.
Once we returned to the room, we packed our bags, checked out, and had one final lunch at Bula Bar & Grille by the pool. I ordered another salad, which felt like exactly what I needed after several days of theme park food.
Final Thoughts On The Trip
This trip ended up being even better than I expected! I am so glad nothing major went wrong with just me as the only adult. Although having a teen with his own communication device certainly made it easier than if I’d been with two younger kids. The Harry Potter areas completely lived up to the hype. Any fan of the books needs to make a pilgrimage there at least once in their life!
! We have one more park to do in a few years: Epic Universe! We’ll save that for next time 🙂
