Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure

Today we broke free of the Disney machine today and rode in our rental car to Universal Studios!  We used our new found freedom to buy breakfast at McDonald's. LC was very excited after spending $1.69 per banana at breakfast to buy her entire breakfast for $1.79, that is until "junior" said " I hope I don't cause you reason to be offended, but I gave you the seniors discount on your coffee!"

The breakfast pit stop set us back a bit on our arrival time so we arrived at Universal 10 minutes after it opened rather than 30 minutes before!!

Minion Mayhem and Transformers were our only two rides in the first park before we made our way to Islands of Adventure. Spider-Man beckoned then the gentle water ride Jurassic Park River. LC took advantage of my disposable rain poncho to stay dry!!

After standing in line longer to buy soup and salad for lunch than we had for any ride, we decided Universal should post wait times for restaurants the way they do for attraction lines!!

Then on to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  The Forbidden Journey proved  to be a little harsh for both our stomachs but I wasn't deterred. Butterbeer beckoned!!  It was actually really lovely to sit on the terrace of the Three Broomsticks and enjoy a cold drink!

The tame train ride from Hogsmeade to King Cross station was totally acceptable to LC!

Here is LC pictured with the Hogwart's Express!

I enjoyed the Escape from Gringott's ride while LC explored Universal outside of the World of Harry Potter. 

And then we were done for the day!  We had headed out of the park and stopped at Citywalk for dinner. We ate at Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food - very tasty and reasonably priced.

Having a car and a GPS opens sup a world of possibilities!  We stopped at a Walgreens drug store and Publix grocery store to stock up on supplies. So nice to grab a bit of produce and some other desirable breakfast and snack foods before returning to our hotel in the land of Disney!

I think getting back to the hotel by 8 pm was the earliest return yet this week!  Lovely to have some relaxation time!  We saw families gathered on the grass outside watching the original 101 Dalmations play on an outdoor screen. The Port Orleans French Quarter really is a lovely property. It isn't nearly as large as most properties on Disneyworld.