Disney & Universal

 Tuesday morning, we dropped Grace off at the vet for boarding and took off for Orlando.  First stop was Magic Kingdom.  We were surprised to see Mickey land all decked out for Halloween.

 We have been to Disney many many times but have never seen Halloween decorations.  They were very well done but not as extensive as the Christmas ones.
Our mission at the Magic Kingdom- to check out the Seven Dwarf mine train, which just opened this summer.  We successfully located the dwarf cottage and just outside the line to enter the mine.

 It took us about 30 minutes to get on the ride- overall I would rate it about a 6 or 7.  It is fun but way to short.  The part with the dwarfs working in the mine is very cute but also way too short. It is not a ride that would bring me back to the park.  It was not at all crowded- so we rode several other rides and then made our way to...

We have not been to Universal Studios in 15 years. A new Harry Potter themed section opened this summer-Diagon Alley. We are big fans of the Harry Potter series and have been excited to see this new addition.

We purchased a Florida resident's package that included hotel, park tickets, early entry and express passes.  We got to the park early on Wednesday.  Soon after entry, we were informed that the new ride "Escape from Gringotts" was down and would likely be down all day-bummer. We rode a couple of other rides and then took the Hogwarts express to the other part of Universal which has the village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle.

Hedwig was waiting outside with the luggage to be loaded on to the train. While on the train, you get views of London and the English countryside.

We arrived in Hogsmeade, watched a show, tried some butter beer- tasty but very sweet, and rode a couple of rides.  We enjoyed a nice lunch at "The Three Broom sticks"  and then made our way up to Hogwarts Castle.  It is really well done inside.  The portraits all talk and Dumbledore welcomes you.  The ride is pretty wild and it made Catherine a little green around the gills.  It was also getting very hot so we went back to the hotel for a break.  We returned about 3 pm, enjoyed the Shrek and Twister attractions and then had dinner.

Thursday morning, we got back to the park but not quite as early.  The Gringott's ride was operational.  We entered to see the Goblins working away at their desks.  We decided that I would ride first just to make sure it would not make Catherine ill.  I thought it was fine so we went back through the line and I rode it again with her.  It is a really good ride-lots of detail in the building and the ride is exciting.

Outside, the dragon breathes fire from above the Gringott's building. 
We had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and then decided to head for home.  Overall, we thought the Harry Potter areas were really well done and worth seeing especially if you are a fan of the books and/or movies.
We will be hanging close to home for the next month. In October, we have planned a trip to D.C.  We decided to check out the fare sale on Southwest and found we could get a great deal to D.C.  We have only been to there once and it was during spring break and 6 degrees outside.  The museums were packed with children and it was too cold to be outside for long.  Hopefully, we will get better weather this time :).

Tonight we are joining some friends for a birthday party.  Hope everyone has a nice weekend.