Expelliarmus

~ Laura

We spent two days at Universal Studios in Orlando last week. It’s like Disney World, just on a smaller scale. They have the same, over-the-top, complete commitment to the vision. When you’re on Diagon Alley, even the ATM machine looks like it belongs at Hogswarts. Their 50’s inspired hotel, Cabana Bay, had old cartoons on large screen TVs, mid-century chairs, curved lines, and bright colors. It’s all fake, but it’s perfectly fake.

 

Published by Laura

10 thoughts on “Expelliarmus”

  1. We spent WAY too much money taking the whole family to Universal Studios Orlando and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter two years ago. We’re still paying it off, but it was worth every penny.

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  2. I bet you enjoyed every minute of it! I have very mixed feelings about theme parks. I can’t bear the thought of spending all that money, but I do enjoy going to them. Sigh… We have to decide which park(s) to tackle on a family reunion trip to Orlando in December. I have promised myself never to go into any of those parks between Xmas & New Year’s. I hope to stick to my own vow to myself! 😉

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  3. So far, we haven’t done a single theme park. I’m thinking of giving in on the dog (that is, getting a dog) to avoid having to do one. I don’t understand the concept of standing in line in the heat, sober, without being paid.

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    1. A. Sober? B. We don’t have to wait on lines, because we get a special handicapped pass, because of Ian’s autism.

      I can’t tell you how great this trip was for him. I’m really grateful to the theme park people who give autistic kids a break.

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      2. How did the pass work for you? at Universal? Or Disney? Disney has changed its pass (giving timed tickets, that allow folks to avoid standing in the lines, but not the bypass the time delays, in general). Squidilicious said it worked for her Leo, but there’s a class action law suit now.

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  4. I am a complete sucker for Disney magic and I wouldn’t admit that if I were posting under my real name. Universal this March was okay – although the crowds and ride breakdowns were annoying. We went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could spend a whole vacation there.

    But now that the kids are in college, a beach spot would probably make them happier.

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    1. I hate Disneyland and Disneyworld (and it wasn’t even made better by being in the French countryside). I freely admit this under my real name in the real world.

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  5. We want to go back there now that Diagon Alley is up and running. Frankly, I enjoyed Universal Studios more than Disney because it felt more diverse. Or maybe it’s because I’m that much of a Potterhead.

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  6. Bizarrely, I dreamt about this blog during our trip to Walt Disney World over spring break a few weeks ago. I’d taken a rare chance to get away with the laptop after the four-year-old fell asleep and indulged in my regular reading — Tim Burke, Megan, patio11’s comments on Hacker News, and the comments on your “Last Drunk at the Party ” post. That night I dreamed that I was still web-surfing and came across your announcement that painful as it was at the time, you’d had to fake us all out to transition to your new blog home at The Atlantic. First time I’ve dreamt about blogs since my old group blog shut down a decade ago.

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