Stefan, Emily & I managed to get up & out through the gates at Universal Studios for 10:03. They had a flight to catch so we had purchased an express pass in order to get to the front of the lines. We had two parks to get through as well, so plenty to do! Using well thought out theme park strategy I suggested we go right when we entered the park. This allowed us to get straight into Transformers. The first of many simulators for the day where we were given a pair of googles to wear. After this I took us to the Terminator 3D attraction that has been there for so many years now in the Cyberdyne systems building. Stefan & Emily tried to persuade me onto a rollercoaster. I was having none of that of course! Though once they got down from their high speed adventure, I took them on a high speed tour of their home. The Jimmy Fallon race through New York. Another simulator with lots of twists/turns/drops. I came off this feeling rather dizzy but not wanting to slow things down, we moved to the Mummy. This is one of two rollercoasters I have been on. As it is indoors I find it a lot easier to deal with as there are no heights involved.
Next was Emily's favourite section of the park, Harry Potter. Starting off in London, hidden behind the facade of normality lay Diagon Alley. Here we grabbed some butterbeer ice cream after being whisked around the main attraction. We did this as single riders as there was no express pass option. We took this chance to board the Hogwarts Express from Kings Cross to take us to Hogsmeade. The short train trip has all the magic of Harry Potter to keep you entertained.
Coming out of Hogsmeade we tried some butterbeer but this was a bit too sweet, & alcohol free! We made straight to Escape from Gringotts. Luckily even though we were single riders again Stefan & I got paired together. Though the ride dis stop halfway through. We were strapped in by our shoulders, but it was disconcerting being held for a few minutes. Thankfully were we level at the stage of the ride & not tilting forward or leaning way back as we could have been. We did miss a large part of the ride though as the animation did not come back on when the ride restarted. To make up for this we went on the children's rollercoaster next door. This went too high for me & I really wasn't a fan! Stefan & Emily went on the Dragons rollercoaster while I grabbed a pint in the Kings Head. We then headed over to one of my favourite places, Jurassic Park. Here we went on the raft ride through the park, that finishes with a splashdown. This was the first of three water rides. In toon lagoon we dived down the log flume, then got absolutely soaked on Bluto & Popeyes raft ride. Typically the sun which had been out in force all day decided to hide away after this, leaving us all soggy for the rest of the day. With time running out we made it to the Marvel island and went on the Spider-Man ride, donning a pair of goggles once again. After which I said goodbye to Stefan & Emily, hopefully not for another year this time.
I still had a few things to do in the parks. The first being Skull Island. Universal used to have a Kong ride & now islands of adventure does once again. With googles a plenty it takes you on a journey through Skull island. At the end you come face to face with Kong. It seems as though they were able to bring across the Kong they had in universal. Having not had anything to eat since breakfast I grabbed a well deserved Turkey leg from Jurassic Park. What a snack! I decided to go back to universal on the Hogwarts Express. The animation on the way back was different of course. Back over in Universal I went on a ride through Springfield then grabbed a Duff beer. I finished the evening off with some silly kids 4D shows, Shrek & Minions. I grabbed a taxi home & had dinner with everyone before retiring after an action packed day.