A Magical New Year: Day 2 - Harry Potter and the Best Birthday Ever

[Stewboy]

Index

Sunday 30th December 2018

This was a special day: not only our first full day at Universal, but also Isabella’s 7th birthday! In order to take advantage of being at a Universal Resort, and thus having early access to the park, we woke early after a thoroughly enjoyable nights sleep in the super comfortable bed.

Readers of my previous trips will know that my day always starts with securing coffee for Jo and myself. There were coffee making facilities in the room, so I sorted that out and we enjoyed a nice cup of coffee in the comfort of the bed.

At about 6:30am it was time for the birthday girl to wake up for a birthday cuddle. We gave her some milk, and then she opened some of the presents that we’d brought on holiday with us - a couple now, the rest later on as we really needed to get going if we wanted to take advantage of that 7am early park opening for resort guests.






Good morning birthday girl!


We completely forgot to use this voucher


Morning hair, don't care

With our room being ideally located almost directly above the Bayliner diner, I was able to pop down and pick Isabella up a spoon so that she could enjoy a quick breakfast of Cheerios in the room before we headed out; she also found time to write a mini-trip report before we left.


The bag is ready


Isabella's mini-trip report

Shuttle buses from the hotel to the parks were picked up right outside the entrance to the Bayliner diner - a short trip from our room. Jo had been told at check-in that the buses get really busy later in the day, so we were a little worried about getting on one, but when we went down there was a bus literally waiting for us, and no real queue. We got straight on and were on our way to the parks.

The shuttle bus only takes 10 minutes to get to the shuttle/taxi drop off. We got off and headed up the escalators, through the bag check - which we found to be a much quicker process than at Walt Disney World - and along the walkway to CityWalk.

Our destination this morning was Universal Studios, and by the time we arrived at the entrance the time was 7:50am - we’d not really made the most of that early entry despite our best intentions…











En route to Universal Studios


Multi-Day ticket

Inside Universal Studios we made a beeline for Diagon Alley. We had Isabella’s Harry Potter Hogwarts robes in my bag which she changed into en route, and once she had them on Jo pinned her two birthday badges to the robes. She was now ready for birthday fun in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

As early entry had ended, we didn’t need to show our resort room key to get into this part of the park like we would on subsequent days, but it was still fairly quiet and once into Diagon Alley, Ollivanders was our destination.




Inside Universal

We were first in line for the next wand choosing show and we hoped that Isabella would be chosen to get a wand or rather, by a wand. Some pushy parents pushed in front of us as we were let into see the wand keeper, but it turned out that a middle aged woman got chosen.

Once the short wand choosing show was over we were all let into the shop, but as we filed out, the wand keeper (not Ollivander by the way) saw Isabella’s badges and asked her to stay. When everyone else had left the room, he performed a shortened version of the show just for her and she was chosen by a 14 inch long, Ivy wand with a unicorn hair core. It was such a fun experience - she loved it, and it was a brilliant start to the day, and our holiday! We were so thankful to the wand keeper for making it special for us.


So many wands!


The wand keeper




Getting her wand

[Stewboy]

We went through into the shop so that we could buy the wand for her. Obviously you don’t have to buy these wands, and they do say that you can buy another wand if you wish but that you will never good such good results with another wizard’s wand!

Now that she had her wand, she would be able to use it to cast the various spells around both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade - all the wands purchased at Ollivanders are interactive. Inside the box with the wand is a map of all the spell locations, so Jo and Isabella sat down to work out where the nearest spells were.

As we were sitting right by Knockturn Alley we decided to start down there, where there were six spells for her to cast. As well as using the map, the location of each spell was also indicated by a marker on the floor.




Looking for spells


Stew-pify!


Knockturn Alley

There were a few other witches and wizards performing spells, so Isabella performed them quickly, with a little help from Jo - some of the spells are quick tricky to do

After the spells we had a little browse in Borgin and Burkes to see if we could pick up any dark magical artefacts…




Borgin and Burkes

We left empty handed, and we’d explored enough of Knockturn Alley so returned to Diagon Alley for a butterbeer - we were feeling peckish and I’d forgotten to pack the snacks! I queued at The Hopping Pot, while Jo and Isabella watched a stage show of ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune’ story from The Tales of Beedle Bard, performed by the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts using puppets, props, and scenery. I caught the end of the show and it’s really well done.








Butterbeer




The Fountain of Fair Fortune


Jo-dermort

Isabella didn’t like the butterbeer (too fizzy for her) so Jo and I shared. I enjoyed it much more than the last time I tried it back in 2015, probably because we’d got frozen butterbeer which was much sweeter.

The birthday girl found some more spells to perform, and then we browsed in a few shops, including Globus Mundi, the new wizard travel agents that has only been open a few weeks, that has some really cool posters on the walls that unfortunately aren’t for sale (yet?).






More spells
















Globus Mundi

We continued to explore Diagon Alley, taking in the well designed, immersive environment. As we wandered, Isabella was getting lots of ‘happy birthdays’ from Universal employees - a nice touch.


















Diagon Alley


Doesn't look like a Manze's!


Recreating the 'Owl/hawk on the arm' photo we had at school!

[Stewboy]

Finally, Diagon Alley was done for the day, and we decided to go and ride something - the waits for the rides in the Wizarding World were too long, we were planning on using early entry on other days to get on the rides.

I checked the Universal Resort app to see what had a short wait, and saw that Men In Black was 15 mins - which we decided was acceptable. We made it over to the ride, squeezed our stuff into a free locker and joined the queue - and then the ride went down! It then turned out that I’d not filtered the rides properly on the app and that there were other rides, like E.T., with only 5 mins waits. Of course I immediately admitted my mistake and apologised, and Jo of course took my oversight in her stride and was in no way annoyed. Or something like that.




MIB

It took 30 mins until we were able to ride, and bearing in mind Jo and I had yet to eat, we were beginning to get a little irritated.

Finally we were able to ride, and all enjoyed it. So much so that Isabella wanted to get straight back on, but it was 10:30am by now and we really needed to go and get some breakfast somewhere.


This is as close as we could get!

IHOP was Isabella’s chosen birthday breakfast destination, so that required a shuttle back to Cabana Bay and a little drive down to the IHOP on South Kirkman Road - the best one locally according to Dixonsontour - thanks for that Stephanie!

On the way through CityWalk we noticed that Voodoo Donuts had no line. We’d agreed that if we were passing and there was no line we should go in, so we did, despite our need for breakfast.

After some deliberation, we bought three donuts - an 8 Mile for Isabella, Memphis Mafia and Voodoo Doll for Jo and I to split. Once we’d got out bag of donuts we headed back to the shuttle bus stop. We thought we’d got lucky when a bus arrived just as we did, but it was only dropping off. Still, we only had to wait another 5 minutes.










Voodoo Donuts


Swimming against the tide!


Gingerbread man on the bus


Bus selfie

A short bus ride and we were back at Cabana Bay. The bus dropped us off and we made the short walk across the road to the parking garage and our car.

Half an hour after leaving the park we were checking in at IHOP. It was 11:30am and we had a short 5 minute wait until being seated.

Coffee was ordered, and there was some debate as to whether we should go for breakfast or lunch. Jo and Isabella went for breakfast; a Breakfast Sampler and a Junior Cupcake Pancake Combo respectively, and I went for a Brunch Burger - mainly because it had an egg in it, and you can’t beat a burger with an egg in it! The food was really delicious, that Brunch Burger ranks amongst some of the best burgers I’ve ever had.


IHOP Christmas!


Isabella wrote us a note


Brunch Burger


Breakfast Sampler


Junior Cupcake Pancake Combo

Well and truly satisfied with our breakfast, it was time to return to Cabana Bay for a little look around. Entry and exit to and from the resort by car is through a barrier that is opened by scanning your room key - over the course of our stay, it seemed to stop working at least half of the time! On this occasion however we had no problems, and now that we knew where our room was we parked at the correct end of the parking garage.

We headed into the Bayliner diner where we bought our Cabana Bay Resort mugs. Jo wanted to christen hers with a Coke ICEE from the ICEE machine. I decided I’d give blueberry a try, which I did NOT like! Fortunately, Isabella was a fan so I let her drink it - Jo really enjoyed hers.


Bayliner diner


Cabana Bay Resort mugs




Jo & her ICEE

We took our ICEEs with us as we went for a wander, we saw a couple of Minions available to meet and greet in the lobby/Swizzle bar area, but Isabella wasn’t in the mood to meet them - she wasn’t the only one, another child was trying to be coerced by their parents, but wanted none of it!


lobby/Swizzle bar area complete with Minions!


Salad Bar


Pizza


International Eats


Delicatessen


Grill


Grab & Go

After a good look round the resort, we now had a clear idea about where everything was, both inside and out. We loved the theming too - it’s 50s & 60s Americana complete with vintage cars parked out front, and vintage ads playing on a loop in the Bayliner diner. Despite the fact that it’s supposed to be ‘value’ resort, it compares favourably to the Royal Pacific which we’ve stayed at previously.






Starbucks





By this time, Isabella was feeling tired so we suggested she have a nap to ensure she lasted until this evening’s activities, which included dinner and fireworks at the California Grill.

While Isabella napped, Jo and I couldn’t resist sharing one of the Voodoo Donuts. We opted for the Memphis Mafia - it was good - and then I wrote up my notes. Isabella slept for about an hour and then we woke her up. She had a bit of her 8 Mile donut (so called because it’s covered in M&Ms…) and then opened the rest of her birthday presents.


Memphis Mafia


8 Mile

[Stewboy]

It was now time to get ready for dinner. We left the resort at about 4pm and drove to the Contemporary Resort. As this was to be one of our only visits to Walt Disney World (barring dinner at Wilderness Lodge, and a visit to Disney Springs at the end of the trip) we’d decided we would make the most of it by doing a tour of the monorail resorts to look at the Christmas decorations. After some discussions, the tour had eventually been shortened to a trip to the Floridian and back, but even that got cancelled after the monorail broke down before we’d even got on it.


Hello Walt Disney World


Isabella has her birthday ears on


Mo-NO-rail

With our afternoon plans scuppered and about an hour until dinner - meaning there wasn’t really time to do anything else - we just mooched around the Contemporary. We looked in the shops, looked at the gingerbread display, and bought a gingerbread boy. Isabella got herself a pressed penny, and a necklace from the shop.




Contemporary Resort Gingerbread


Contemplating a pressed penny


She bought herself a necklace

Still there was time to kill, so we went to the Outer Rim bar to be served a couple of non-alcoholic drinks (No-jitos) by the most miserable barman in Walt Disney World! He was also the least attentive and slowest, and by the time we’d actually got our drink it was time to go and check in - we should’ve saved our money.



After a so far disappointing start to the evening we could now go and check in to California Grill. Once checked in, we headed up in the lift and were immediately shown to our table. We didn’t have a good view of anything from the table, but that was ok because we didn’t mind going out to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the observation deck.

Jo had booked our dinner at 6:10pm, close to the time of the fireworks, which for today and tomorrow only (at 6:30pm and 11:50pm) would be the ‘Fantasy in the Sky’ New Year’s Eve fireworks. We would have preferred for our ADR to be a bit earlier, but this was literally all we could get! Even at 180 days the evening was fully booked, and we were fortunate to get this reservation back in July using the Touring Plans reservation finder.

As we’d actually checked in and been seated a little early, we had a bit of time to order our food and drinks before heading out to watch the fireworks. For our entrees both Jo and I ordered sushi - Spicy Kazan Roll for Jo, California Combination Roll for me - with a pepperoni flatbread to share as a starter. Isabella had opted for the Cheese Pizza.



Our drinks arrived - Jai Alai IPA for me, red wine for Jo - along with some bread. We had a taste of each before it was time to head outside. As I got up to leave, the pizza arrived…. Bad timing!

The observation deck wasn’t busy and we had a good view of the fireworks. Obviously it’s not the same as being in the park, but it’s a good second best and we avoided the crowds. We felt very lucky to have seen these fireworks - as I mentioned they only do this show four times a year. They were absolutely amazing.










Fantasy in the Sky fireworks

The fireworks finished and we returned to our table to find the server mopping up my beer! A woman suddenly appeared and explained that her daughter had thought it was their table and accidentally knocked over my beer reaching for (our!) bread - she half heartedly offered to buy me a beer, then disappeared.

As the server was taking away the cloth he’d also picked up our bag from the seat that was also sopping wet. This bag contained the gingerbread boy that we’d bought downstairs and was now also wet. We explained to the server who said he’d get someone to go and replace it. He also bought me a new (full) pint of beer - whether the woman paid for it or not, I don’t know. Now I know that accidents happen - but we are not people who let our child run around restaurants on her own. If she needs the restroom - we take her. On the way back from the fireworks - we are holding her hand. This is out of respect for other diners and to avoid any accidents!

The server had put a cloche over the pizza, so that fortunately didn’t get wet, and wasn’t cold so we started on that. To be honest, it wasn’t the best, I found it a little too bitter, like it had too much parmesan on it maybe?


Pizza


California Combination Roll


Spicy Kazan Roll


Cheese pizza

While we ate, the server returned with a replacement gingerbread. We were really grateful that they sorted that out for us. Our entrees then arrived. They were all really nice, and we enjoyed them. The sushi at California Grill is really good.

During dinner, the little girl who’d caused the spillage came to apologise - she looked absolutely devastated by what she’d done and we felt so sorry for her and told her not to worry. Maybe the mum was just embarrassed earlier, and that came across as nonchalant?

As it was Isabella’s birthday, Jo had arranged for our dessert to be a birthday cake, which came out with a candle and a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ by our server. The cake was beautiful and tasty, if a little rich. There was too much for us to eat in one sitting but we were able to get the rest to go. Jo and I both ended the meal with a latte, which turned out to be not worth the price! They were tiny and $4.79 each, and didn't even taste nice.








Happy Birthday Isabella

With drinks and cake and coffee this had proved to be a very expensive meal. The setting is nice, and the fireworks were a big attraction, but I’m not sure the cost of the meals is representative of the quality of the food or the service. Bear in mind we shared a starter, and did not have proper entrees, instead opting for sushi which is half the price of the regular entrees. Obviously we had the problem with the spillage, which was dealt with efficiently, but we’ve eaten at restaurants elsewhere with better food, better service, and less expensive bills.


The bill

I don’t want to sound like it wasn’t nice, because it was. We all really enjoyed it, and were so happy to be able to watch the fireworks. On the dining plan it’s probably a must-do, but out of pocket, it’s so expensive. Isabella really loved it though. She was so appreciative of the whole day, and we were so proud of her for her grateful heart.

So, dinner was done and all that was left now was to say goodbye to Walt Disney World after our brief visit, and return to Cabana Bay.


Tree outside the Contemporary

We got back about 8:30pm, Isabella went straight to bed, and Jo and I showered and were asleep by about 9:45pm after a fun but exhausting day celebrating our little girl’s 7th birthday!

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow it’s New Year’s Eve, there’s more Harry Potter related fun at Islands of Adventure, and we even venture to a water park!

[mick]

What a brilliant 7th birthday for Isabella


Joan

[clochette]

What a lovely way to spend a birthday. I can't believe Isabella is 7 already! And how nice to get a private wand choosing ceremony at Ollivander's.
Cabana Bay looks lovely - one day I will convince DH that he wants a trip to Universal.

Looking forward to reading more.

[Floridafour]

Aaah Happy Birthday Isabella, looks like it was a great day 🙂

[Cinderella]

Happy Birthday 🥳

[sheluk]

Lovely day for Isabella and you all. That extra wand magic was just lovely of the universal cast member.

Glad you enjoyed the fireworks - it is super pricey seeing it all wrote down like that, but at least it was for such a special day.

Can’t wait to the rest! X

[Disneynut23]

So glad Isabella had a special birthday. I took my daughter to Disney for her 7th birthday and it was magical. We got to ride the hotel terror ride at HS seven times in a row with no wait and in the 7th ride we had the whole elevator to ourselves .