Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report - More Universal!

(Sign is from the new -to us- Simpsons Ride, which is outstanding.)

As I had mentioned, it'd been a long time since we'd been to Universal Studios, Florida. On our day there, while we were focused on seeing the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we wound up visiting both parks even though they both closed absurdly early.



Some of the areas in Islands of Adventure now look a little... dull... compared to Hogsmeade. Jurassic Park, for example, probably the reason why Universal went for an Island theme in the first place, has one rather disappointing ride with maybe six dinosaurs, a kiddie play area with another ride that is absurdly ill-conceived (it is essentially a ski-lift), a show that is all but gone, and dozens and dozens of snack bars and gift shops. At least the recreation of the visitor's center, pictured above, is spot-on. And even better...



They decorate it for Christmas! There aren't a lot of holiday things to see in IOA, so let's head over to Universal Studios proper.



Bar none the weirdest thing about our Universal Orlando trip is that when we entered the park, one of our first thoughts was, "why isn't the Hogwarts Express a ride? It seems so obvious! And wouldn't it be awesome if there was some kind of transportation between the two Universal parks?"

And then, a little later in the day, we went towards this area attacked by Groverfield and rode "Jaws". Huh...



There are a small number of costumed characters wandering Universal and they're all pretty random. Basically, if you are an animated character, and Disney doesn't own the rights to you (and in a few extremely special circumstances when they do own the rights to you), you could end up in Universal. I kinda dig Scooby Doo and Shaggy's festive appearance here.



For a certain generation, this sign out of context is the stuff of nightmares.



One of the strangest holdovers from the earliest days of Universal Florida is this playground based off "An American Tail". And not the original movie either, but the... polarizing sequel. Furthermore, as the sign shows, there was a much stronger "see how we make movies!" theme to this park, not unlike Disney's Hollywood Studios.



Even though the parks closed early, there was enough time after dark to admire the beautiful lights along the various streets in the park.

Wait a minute...



On that note, I think we need to leave Universal tomorrow and head over to Disney World finally. On to Part Eight!

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Sketch of the Day!

Did these on the plane ride down:

Florida Holiday 2011 Trip Report - Come to Hogwarts for the Holidays!

We hadn't been to Universal Studios Florida in a long time. As you may have heard, there was some new stuff to see there. Yes, our goal was to visit the awkwardly named park-within-a-park Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and oh there are many things to discuss about that. We'll get there eventually, but it's a long walk.



We passed by this odd construction on our way into CityWalk. The monster in front is throwing me off; anyone have any ideas what this could be? I've heard everything from an elaborate new store to a mini-golf course.



I'd heard that Universal doesn't decorate or do much for the holiday season, but that turned out to be very wrong. They only "don't do much" in comparison to Disney. Islands of Adventure concentrates most of it's decorating to Seuss Landing, turning it into Whoville. Awww...



{Ace Ventura} "YEEEEUMMY!!!" {/Ace Ventura}



Team Jacob! But not that Jacob!



Oh, Merlin's beard we're here already!

Alright, since this is my first visit to WWOHP (I'll just call it Hogsmeade from now on), I'll talk a little bit about what I thought of the park with an eye towards setting, park design, and how successful it is in immersing you into a fictional city. In short, this is the part where I nerd it up.

Overall, it is very impressive indeed and the very best part is, in fact, that set design. Built into about half of the Lost Continent "land" of IOA (the more whimsical fairy tale area rather than the more serious mysterious myths and legendary legends section), Hogsmeade is maybe just a little bit bigger than the Germany village of EPCOT's World Showcase. They look and feel somewhat similar as well, with all the shops sort of flowing into each-other and an overall very effective "this is a real little town that is hundreds of years old" feel.



Pictured: A bunch a book-readin' loser nerds nerding out.

This does bring up some oddities though. In World Showcase, each little international city is purposefully designed to look special no matter what direction you enter them from and there's enough transitional space so that it isn't too jarring going from, say, Norway to China. Now, this is partially because Walt Disney World has the benefit of space. Universal, sadly, must cram things in where they can fit, which results in sights like this:



Yeah. Additionally, Hogsmeade is really only intended to be entered from the counterclockwise path we took. What you see above is the other entrance.

Now on top of this, you have the number of people who want to visit a Harry Potter theme park vs. book-accurate recreations of Ollivander's and the Three Broomsticks. The result is a deeply uneasy compromise, and you end up seeing things like a line for Ollivander's that is longer then the one for the flagship ride. As for the Three Broomsticks:



Pictured: Authentic English pub.

Our meal at the Three Boomsticks brought my attention to another very important difference between Disney and Universal: Disney cast members are the nicest people on the planet. Their main motivation is for you to take your time and enjoy your experiences to the fullest.

Universal people want you to get your food, get on your ride, and get out. Okay, maybe not, but everything in the Three Groomsticks felt rushed as hell. And I probably ought to mention that it's a cafeteria, not a sit-down restaurant. Eh, at least the food is pretty good.



As far as drinks, since everyone seems curious about this. Butterbeer is... pretty good. On recommendation, I went for the frozen version. I actually rather liked the pumpkin juice better. I have a soft spot for drinks that smell like pumpkins and for things served in containers shaped like fruit. Little touches like that, and the Cauldron Cakes on display above, make me happy.



A-yi-yi, this is running long! I'll end here with my review of the one new ride in Wizarding World: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Housed inside (seemingly at least) Hogwarts Castle, which is an amazing achievement in itself, rising like a rude gesture in Mickey's face into the sky, the ride is so state of the art, nobody really knows how to describe it. Attendants will compare it to Soarin' or Star Tours only because there is nothing out there at all like it. If there is one ride that is somewhat similar, it's the Spider-Man ride in the same park. Even then, Harry Potter and the Forbin Project is like Spider-Man on some kind of mood-altering substance.

Before you get on the actual ride, you experience what is, in my opinion, the most outstanding part of the overall attraction: the tour through Hogwarts. On busy days, I suppose you have a lot of time in each room of the castle and enough time to see each little show in each room. The effects are outstanding and the little details and in-jokes are terrific. Unfortunately, when the wait is short you are rushed through the rooms to get all but shoved into your ride vehicle at the end. There is an alternative, the "walking tour", which starts through an alternate pathway at first, then you join the real queue in Dumbledore's office. It's designed for kids too little to ride but is a fun experience for anyone.

Which brings us to the ride itself... Ye Gods. The technology is superb, certainly, but the whole thing is like a rude gesture in the face of people who still think Harry Potter is for little kids. And that rude gesture takes the form of a Dementor eight inches away from you.

Since "Will I Be Able To Handle 'Harry Potter: Friendship is Magic' Because of (enter thing person is afraid of here)" posts pop up so often on DISboards, I give you a public service announcement:Auntie Tricia's Handy-Dandy Islands of Adventure 'Harry Potter and the Gooey Kablooey' Disclaimer Warning Sign Translation Guide!
What Universal's Official Warning Signs Say: Vague warning, something about claustrophobia.What They Really Mean: This ride was made for people who are fond of being locked in a very snug box (and mind you, I am thin) which is arranged in such a way that the ride feels like a solo excursion even though your friends are six inches to the right and left of you.What Universal's Official Warning Signs Say: Guests who suffer motion sickness maybe shouldn't ride, or something.What They Really Mean: Guests who may freak the eff out when their flying box starts falling backwards should be at least aware that this is going to happen. It's cool though; you never actually go upside-down, right?What Universal's Official Warning Signs Say: This ride involves smoke and lighting effects.What They Really Mean: Hey, do you enjoy monsters and dragons and giant spiders and more giant spiders and oh God, giant spiders everywhere and giant spiders for nigh on twenty damn minutes and antisocial trees and demons who eat your sanity popping up like a couple of feet away from your face for the whole ride? Of course you do! Who wouldn't?

Next post, more fun in Universal! And a decreasing likelihood that this trip report will be finished by Christmas...

On to Part Seven!
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Sketch of the Day!

Meet the New Superbowl Ads! Same as the Old Superbowl Ads!

Another batch of opinions, hastily posted by somebody who wasn't all that invested in the game. (Dammit, Bill!) This may not be the most coherent post in the world, since it's almost quarter of two in the morning now, but here goes:

"The Last Airbender" teaser - Uh... eh. I think I've made my opinions on the prospects of a live-action "Avatar: the Last Airbender" movie perfectly clear by now and this teaser didn't really change anything. What strikes me as odd is the fact that, had I tuned in a minute later I would have missed it entirely.

Boostmobile Shuffle - OK, this one got a laugh out of me. For those of you who are to young to get the reference, enjoy the very first time I realized that athletes should never sing. Ever.

Doritoes and Budweiser - Man, their commercials this year were either just plane weird or boring. Doritoes in particular; it looked like they were using the ideas from their contest a while back that came in a distant second.

"Robin Hood: Prince of Some Stuff" - "Gee, Homer, that's a good idea but I think they've already made movies based on A Christmas Carol." "Yeah, well, what about Robin Hood?"
On the other hand, I am hoping they make this movie into another "EXCITING cereal".

"Wolfman" - Team DelToro!!!

Monster.com Beaver - I like the puppetry, but this is a good example of an ad that is really elaborate but doesn't make any damn sense. The Budweiser Bridge ad was like this too. The ur-example of this kind of Superbowl ad comes from 1997. (Bonus: Two or three instantly-dated references for the price of one!)

GoDaddy.com - This may be the greatest and best web-hosting service in the entire Internet, and all most people associate them with are these "to hot for TV" ads. Good jarb ad execs.

Coke Simpsons - Yaaaay!!! I feel like I ought to comment more on this ad as it's the only memorable animated ad. It's wikkid late. I don't want to.

Career Builder and Dockers - To ads in a row with guys in their underwear. Good luck telling them apart.

Teleflora - Hey, I remember this from last year!

"Alice in Wonderland" and "Tru TV Groundhog Day" - I must have mentioned somewhere on this blog that the deepest depth of the Uncanny Valley is inhabited by those staples of Superbowl ads, CGI Babies Who Do Things Normal Babies Don't Do. Well, I was wrong. The real inhabitants are People With Giant CGI Heads (or Normal-Sized Heads On Little CGI Bodies, it's hard to tell).

Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter - And I've given so much attention to the history of the Disney/MGM or Hollywood or whatever they're calling it now Studios in Walt Disney World that I feel like I must have discussed the equally strange history of Universal Studios Florida as well. This ad reminds me of the seriously trippy ads used to introduce the park in the first place. I don't think Wizarding World will be open by the time I get to Florida next month (more on that later), but having visited the spot where I think it's going, it's a little hard to believe that this is going to be more elaborate than a retheming of the Lost Continent part of Islands of Adventure.

Dr. Pepper Little Kiss - Ugh. Just... ugh.

"Prince of Persia: the Color Orange!" - With the memory of what happened after "Pirates of the Caribbean" fresh in my head, let me say this: I don't want little girls and their moms suddenly saying they've "Always been a Jake Gyllenhaal fan!" You sit through "The Good Girl" and "The Day After Tomorrow" just for him and then maybe we'll let you in the fan club. Maybe.

HomeAway.com - Here's a depressing trend for you. Commercials for commercials. As in, you had to go online to watch the full version of this. Bah.

Dennys screaming chickens - And here's the most irritating and most impossible to like commercial this year.

"The Crazies" - Interesting and creepy ad for what appears to be an entirely unremarkable thriller. Funny thing is, I would have expected to see an "Iron Man 2" teaser instead.

Google Paris Romance - Awwwwww... See now, this is how you do it.

EDIT: Reviews of ads I have not mentioned can be found at the Onion AV Club. It's funny how the blatant misogyny and anti-intellectualism, especially of the Bud ads, didn't immediately register with me. Then again, I remember when every single beer ad felt like that Duff beer "down with sexism" ad from an early episode of "The Simpsons" (still brilliant but YouTube has sadly failed me).

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Sketch of the day!

I'm also selling a set of ACEOs on Ebay this week, just to see how they do.