If you read my previous blog or watched my YouTube channel you’ll see that I went to Universal Studios in the summer of 2020 during the pandemic. I was overly crowed and miserably hot. This time I went in mid November where it was all decorated for Christmas
The crowds have definitely died down since summer which is a huge plus and the weather was high 80s which can be hot to some but feels kind of nice to the average Floridian. But of course, my favorite part about my trip was the holiday store.
In Universal Studios they have a store designated for seasonal themes called the Tribute Store. During Halloween it is all set up spooky. For Christmas they expanded the store to four different rooms. Each one with a different Christmas theme. The two major themes are Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and Harry Potter, my favorite room of them all.
Since Christmas is in almost every Harry Potter movie, it felt like you were shopping inside one of the shops along Hogsmeade during Christmas time. Plenty of Christmas ornaments and stockings HP themed.
The final room had a selection of holiday goodies such as candied nuts, spiked eggnog, and a whole lot of bakery treats. I got what the chef said was the most popular item which is the Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Ornament. It wan’t too rich and the right amount of peppermint.
The rest of the park was decked out for the season. You know what the jolliest part of it all was? The wait times for rides were so low! Hagrid’s queue line looked like it went on for miles but it only took 15 mins to get on the ride.
In my trip I also ate at Mythos at Islands of Adventure which had been awarded at one point the world’s best theme park restaurant. My honest opinion is that that award must have been earned a long time ago. There are several factors I consider when judging my experience: The environment, the service, and of course the food.
Let’s start with the best they had: the service. My waiter was very friendly, attentive (which can be hard to find these days), and experienced. So that was a plus. However, the environment was very, very loud. The restaurant’s appearance is pretty cool as you are in a cave, but because of that there seemed to be no sound absorbers. The chairs and tables seemed to be twenty years old as well. Just not an overall good environment. The food was basic. I had a lamb burger, and I love lamb, but the taste wasn’t anything to brag about and the bread fell apart the second I picked it up. I have definitely ate at better theme park restaurants.
Overall, my day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure was pretty successful being that it was much less crowded than the last time I went. I got to do both parks in one day, and only waited 15 mins max for a ride. Fall will always be the best time to go to theme parks.
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