Today is the day the boys and I go to Universal Studios, Hollywood.
I had a restless night sleep, must have been excited.
We have decided to drive the motorhome and get there early. That way Pete can have a relaxing day, noise-free and we can be ready for the early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at 8 am.
We were all ready, packed up and out of the Hollywood RV Park by 6.45 am and Noah, Wes and I were at the Universal Gate, eagerly awaiting entry by 7.35 am.
I am not good with crowds so I was hoping we could get some of the attractions we wanted to see done before the long waiting lines.
All of us early starters were corralled into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter by 8 am.
Our first stop Ollivanders, makers of fine wands since 382 BC. This was a nice easy introduction to our day, a little skit in the shop and a little magic…
Next, a walk up to Hogwarts Castle, the boys were begging me to go in. I could see that there was a ride inside so I questioned the attendants at the entrance. “Is it a rollercoaster?”. No. “Do you go upside down?”. No. “Is it scary?”. They said no, right?
I am not exactly sure what I was told but what I heard was that we would be sitting four abreast and the ride goes side to side through scenes of the Harry Potter movie. Okay, I thought, I could do this.
We walked through the Hogwarts Castle watching the animated paintings and character from the movies until we reached the ride. Alarm bells should have rung when we had to check in our backpacks. This ride was not going to be the nice rocking chair I thought it was going to be.
Once we were strapped in even Wes had a little panic, “I’m not sure if I want to be here” he said, no kidding…
And then we were off. After the ride, I read the attraction description. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: Make your way through the familiar classrooms and corridors of Hogwarts. Then soar above the castle grounds on a groundbreaking 4K HD ride that let you join Harry Potter and his friends on an unforgettably thrilling adventure.
I had my eyes closed most of the time and just hoped Noah and Wes were okay, there was not much I could do to help them, I could barely help myself. This could be the end of our day at Universal Studios.
Noah loved it, weirdo. Wes was not as thrilled but had not been traumatised so we could continue on with our day. It took a while for my legs to stop shaking and I was a little sweaty from hanging on so tight.
We (Wes and I), decided we might stay away from the rides.
Next, onto the 60-minute Studio Tour. This is an absolute must, it was brilliant and a very pleasant surprise. It was awesome to go behind the scenes and sets at the Universal Backlot, including some of the most iconic movies and television shows. Jaws, Psycho, Desperate Housewives, War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park. We were involved in a flash flood and earthquake and learned lots more secrets of Hollywood movie making.
We also rode through the world’s largest 3-D experience on King Kong 360 3-D, created by Peter Jackson and then the finale, Fast & Furious – Supercharged.
Poor little Wes was traumatised by the 3-D Experiences, he wanted off the train…
I finally convinced him that the next attraction would be fine and that all we would be doing is watching (I was not even convincing myself), as long as we do not sit in the green seats (they apparently get very wet).
Wes agreed and off we went to see the live stunt show, WaterWorld. The show was fantastic.
After the show, we thought that it might be time to have something to eat, but now the place was getting very crowded. We were not food successful on the Top Lot so we decided to ride the steep escalators down to the Lower Lot.
Noah was keen to take on a few more rides. Wes and I stopped that in its tracks.
The Lower Lot had a small dinosaur children’s play area that Noah and Wes enjoyed.
We still could not find anywhere to eat that did not have a queue out of the door, was not running out of food or a seat to sit.
Back up the escalators to the Top Lot.
A hot dog stand, that will do. Three hot dogs, eaten successfully under the shade of a movie set.
Time to fit in one last live attraction, the Special Effects Show, the description: Uncover the secrets of Hollywood movie making in our enhanced Special Effects Show, where real Hollywood stunts, practical effects and cutting-edge technology come to life. It was a fun show.
The lines to the attractions and rides were now 50 minutes + and you could not walk without bumping into someone.
The boys and I had a wonderful fun filled adventure packed day. Now was time to go back to the motorhome and to drive to our destination tonight, Malibu,
With a little stop at a bike shop for Peter to look (and maybe order) an electronic mountain bike.
The boys were so tired they fell asleep on our way to our campsite, Malibu Beach RV Park. Our site is looking right out onto Malibu Beach and across the Pacific Ocean, stunning.
As the boys were tired I decided to walk down to Malibu Seafood and order fish and chips to take out. It is a cute, casual, seaside restaurant but being a Sunday, the line to order was huge as well as the wait.
Oh well, I had nowhere else to be and you can not beat looking at the beautiful ocean.
Back to the motorhome to feed the hungry family and enjoy our beautiful surrounds.
What a wonderful day and a fabulous end to that day.
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