We decided to explore Universal Studios on the first day. Because we had early entry we went straight to the hugely popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter and hit Ollivander’s wand shop for an utterly magical experience where the ‘wand chooses the person’. One lucky child gets picked to let the wand choose them.
It was definitely a better whole family experience and with a lot less crying toddlers junked up on sugar which doesn’t exactly reconcile with our ‘idea of a trip of a lifetime’.For our children’s age, Springfield, the fictional town made famous by the Simpson’s cartoon had instant appeal. We hit the Twirl n’ Hurl alien spinners which meant we could all ride together. We were happy to see that the sarky double entendres, the Simpsons are loved for are found all over ‘Springfield’.
Again, these are memories they will never forget and we won’t forget their squeals of joy and disgust. We loved the motion simulator rides, namely Minion Mayhem and Shrek. If you feel it might be too much for you or the children, you can opt for the stationary seating. We watched people as they twisted, rolled and fell through the sky, shrieking and screaming in delight.
This was one of the parts of the trip to Universal that the children enjoyed the best. The other was Volcano Bay – it makes up the trio of Universal parks. It is called a water park but there is nothing water park-esque about this place. It is like arriving at a spa in Hawaii, with a giant volcano and white sandy beach.