Here we are! As promised, I am revealing to you -- my beautiful readers -- at exactly the same time as I'm revealing to my children where we are going for our vacation. It's Universal Orlando, specifically for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The kids love that series. They've read it over and over. We've been first in line at the midnight showings. We've had Harry Potter movie weekends in which we watch all the movies and must speak to each other in British accents all weekend. The kids have their own wands -- collector's editions with certificates of authenticity.
I'm writing this a week and a half before the reveal so I can't tell you for sure what their reaction was because it hasn't happened yet, but I can honestly tell you -- They. Were. Thrilled. I know I can safely say that before the moment because I know them so well.
Here's approximately how it went down. Now keep in mind I'm writing this before it happened yet you're reading it after it happened so don't get confused. I printed up authentic looking acceptance letters just like Harry got -- even going to several stupid scrapbook stores looking for just the right kind of parchment and just the right kind of envelopes. I hunted down that stupid waxy looking seal like a madman.
I kept them hidden until the moment we pulled into the place. We drove past Disney on purpose just to fool them into thinking that's where we were going. Oh you should have seen the look of confusion on their faces as that park went by -- well I haven't seen it yet as I write this, but I can picture it in my mind. Then we drove another few miles to Universal and Harry Potter. I put on Hedwig's theme on my MP3 player, pulled out the stuffed Hedwig that's been riding on the rear-view mirror of my van for the past 10 years, and had that silly stuffed owl toss each child his or her acceptance letter.
And the crowd went wild.
Or so I imagine.
So as you read this, if you read it the moment it went live, we are barreling into Universal Orlando, whipping through the superhero section and the Cat and the Hat land -- we'll return to those later -- and hitting Diagon Alley. We're exploring Ollivandar's wand shop and sipping butter beer at the Three Broomsticks. We're having a great time I'm sure. I'll be posting photos soon. Right now I'm on a roller coaster with my kids.
Lisa On Location Photography
I’m so jealous! My family just got back from our trip to the Wizarding World. A coworker of mine at Dish recommended it but I didn’t realize how great it was until we stepped foot in the park. You’ll have to post how it went for your family! I’ve never seen my kids so excited. Even my 15 year-old son, who is usually too cool for the world, was jumping for joy! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! In fact, we are still keeping the memory of our trip alive by having mini Harry Potter nights. We make butter beer from a recipe I found online and have been working our way through the movie series. You’ll be surprised how much the park sticks to the movies. Every detail is spot on!
ReplyDelete