Family Vacation 2010

I'm sure you were concerned that you had not heard from me for awhile, you see I was on vacation with my family. We went to DisneyWorld and Universal Studios in Florida in August. Going into this vacation it was safe to say that it was going to be hot and that we would be waiting in a lot of lines. Both of these things were easy to deal with on a theoretical level, but when we were actually on the ground dealing with them it was a little uncomfortable. When I say that it was hot, I mean that it was HOT. It was sweaty and gross and the sun was non-stop beating down on us. Every time we left an air conditioned area to go outside the air was literally sucked from our lungs and sweat began to pour from every known and some unknown pores. Poor Bill. Poor, sweaty, cold-weather-lovin' Bill. He was just wet for 5 whole days. I'm surprised he's not water-logged. Going to a theme park under these conditions is not what I consider to be a vacation. It was exhausting. Everyday we got back to the hotel and collapsed. Plus there were people EVERYWHERE. Other stupid people on "vacation" with their miserable children in the happiest place on earth. No one is happy when they are hot and sweaty and their feet are tired and balls are sticking to their legs (I've heard). The shining star of this trip was definitely the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. When you arrive at the park there are signs all over pointing you in the direction of Harry Potter. There is only one way to get there and that's the long way--you literally have to walk through the entire park to get Hogwarts and when you arrive you have to wait in line just to be allowed into that section. So there was an hour and a half wait just to be allowed in the Harry Potter section. Luckily, we scored some passes that allowed us to skip that line to go on to the next line. Once inside the amazingly designed and scarily accurate looking Diagon Alley you have to wait in line to do anything including enter a store because there are so many people there. We went immediately to Hogwarts to ride the main attraction. We were told the wait would be approximately 75 minutes--fine. However, the ride shut down about 4 times during the wait extending the time to about 2 hours. Goo. The last 25 minutes of the line takes places in the greenhouse and there were several Potter plants around including Mandrakes (you could see their little faces). Inside Hogwarts is actually magical. Some of the portraits on the walls are hi-def tv screens that move and speak to each other. The technology inside the castle and the amount of detail is breathtaking. The ride, which simulates you riding a broom alongside Harry and Ron is phenomenal. It transitions between amazingly clear tv screens and the infrastructure of the castle. It was really worth the wait. Also worth the wait--Butter Beer--and yes there is a line for that too. You can also have the privilege of waiting in line to go to Ollivander's where small groups are taken in every few minutes and one lucky person has his wand select him. Or you can wait in line at the store and pick your own wand based on your birthday or pick up one of your favorite character's wands. The whole thing is really fantastic and minus the people, the heat and the wait I would have really loved it. I wanted to visit the candy store but my family ran out of patience and there was almost a mutiny. Cold beer and air conditioning remedied that situation and not a minute too soon. I thought my sister was going to explode. My advice is to go when school is in session, in the winter and pay whatever absurd sum of money Universal requires for VIP access to the park.