Bahamas Trip Report: Day 2

Day 2:

I woke up bright and early at 6am on Sunday morning and got ready to go to Universal Studios.  Because I was staying at one of the resorts on the park's property I was able to get into the park one hour before it opened.  I got on the shuttle at 7am, which took me straight to the entrance to Universal's City Walk.  One of my only complaints about Universal is that there is not a lot of signage to tell you where to go.  So I followed the few people that were in the park in hopes that they knew where they were going!

The entrance to Universal Studios

Soon enough I saw the entrance to Universal Studios and continued to follow people until we got to the entrance to Diagon Alley for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I walked through the brick wall and was amazed that the park looked exactly like I had imagined while reading the books.  I took a few minutes to wander around and check out the sights and of course take a bunch of pictures. 

Walking through the brick wall into Diagon Alley

Barely anyone there at 7:30am!

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (outside)

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (inside)

The dragon on top of Gringotts breathed fire every 15 minutes

After wandering around for a little bit I put my stuff in a free locker and got in line for the ride at Gringotts, called Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.  I wish I would have been able to have my camera with me so I could take pictures inside because it was so cool to see what the books and movies felt like in real life.

Before you get on the ride there a sign saying it is a high-speed roller coaster and to not ride if you got motion sickness. I was concerned that maybe it would be a very intense ride, but realized once I got on it that it was a Disney-style ride that's more about the theatrics and show than about it being a thrilling roller coaster.  

The ride wasn't as "high-speed" as they made it out to be!

After the ride I grabbed my stuff from the locker and headed back out into Diagon Alley.  I visited all of the shops and even got an ice cream at the ice cream parlour.  

Great flavors to choose from at the ice cream parlour

After about two hours I was ready to head to the other park.  I went into "King's Cross Station" and got on the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. It was really cool to see the train and to be in one of the compartments.  There were videos out the "window" and on the other side of the door.  It kept you entertained for the few short minutes you were on the ride.  

The entrance to King's Cross and the Hogwarts Express

The board actually changed just like in real life. I even overheard someone say that the destinations and times are all taken real-time from the actual King's Cross Station in London!

Walking through the wall onto Platform 9 3/4. There was a holographic screen that made it look like people were actually walking through a solid wall!

Arriving onto Platform 9 3/4

Stacked up luggage and a moving owl

Getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express

The compartment felt so realistic!

Heading into Hogsmeade was really cool and I liked seeing the little village in real life.  The first thing I did was grab a Butterbeer and taste it for the first time.  

Arriving in Hogsmeade

Arriving in Hogsmeade

The village was so cute and realistic. I loved the extra touch of having snow on the roofs!

My first taste of Butterbeer was exactly what I had always imagined

I walked around the village, took a few pictures, and then walked towards the castle.  My first sight of the castle was amazing. I was speechless and almost wanted to cry because it was so cool.  I asked the ride attendant if it was possible to go inside the castle without riding the roller coaster.  He was very helpful and said that there is something called a castle tour where you can walk through the castle and then leave before getting on the roller coaster.  It was actually really nice because I didn't have to wait in line and instead got to go through my own line which had barely anyone else in it and was very uncrowded.  I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to take flash pictures in the castle so a lot of my pictures didn't turn out very well.  I mostly just tried to enjoy the scenery and take it all in instead of worrying about getting good pictures.  

Headed towards the castle

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

A closer look at the castle. It felt so real!

Inside the castle. The paintings moved and talked!

After the castle I went through all of the shops and found a bunch of souvenirs.  It didn't take very long, so before I knew it I was back on the train heading to the first park.  By that time I was getting hungry so I decided to get some lunch.  I also went back through a few shops and grab some souvenirs that I decided I wanted.  After that I was pretty much done with the Harry Potter part of the park so I decided to head out.  

Inside one of the gift shops

At the Hogs Head for a coffee

Honeydukes candy shop

Inside Honeydukes

I wandered through the rest of Universal Studios to get back to the entrance and then caught the shuttle to get back to the hotel.  The hotel was really nice about storing my suitcase, letting me check it out to grab my bathing suit, and then checking it back in.  I changed into my bathing suit and headed to the pool so I could cool off and relax.  I'm not very good at hanging by the pool all day so after about an hour I got up and went to Starbucks for some ice tea.  I found a cozy spot to sit and drink my tea while reading my book.  After a while a decided it was time for some lunch so I headed to the diner.

One of the pools at Cabana Bay Beach Resort

The retro diner

After I was done eating I decided that I would call the shuttle company on the off chance that they had a shuttle earlier that I could catch to my hotel by the port.  Sure enough they had somebody scheduled in 45 minutes so I grabbed my suitcase,  loaded up my car, and drove to the airport.  The experience with the shuttle could have gone a lot smoother, but I did eventually get to my hotel which I guess is what matters the most.  

My room at the Radisson Resort at the Port

Very spacious for just one person!

I checked into my hotel, went and had dinner in the restaurant, and came back and took a shower.  I was in bed by 9:30 with my alarm set for 9:30 the next morning, so I knew I had plenty of time to get a good nights sleep and rest up for the next day. 

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Up next tomorrow is my smooth embarkation onto Enchantment of the Seas and a bunch of pictures of the ship.