We went back to HarryPotterLand and got on the Hogwarts Express to go over to US.  In Diagon Alley we did some more wand adventuring and then rode Gringotts.  We left Diagon and went the long way over to the Simpsons Ride (clever name).  Finally we went over to Finnegan's for dinner before the drive home.

Good trip.  We got a lot in the two days.  As of this writing we'll be back in 10 days for a 5 day (3 at Epic) summer vacation trip.  

We rode the Minion Mayhem which is actually really fun and funny.  Went back to a little stand for a breakfast croissant the down to the Mummy.  After that headed over to Finnegan's for a drink (hey, Father's Day) then over to Diagon Alley.  My wife got one of the new 2nd gen wands and started an adventure.  We quickly found out that this was going to be addictive and quite a time investment.  We rode Gringott's and headed out of Diagon Alley to avoid getting wrapped up in spells.  Over on the other side of the park we rode ET which is always like a fever dream, but fun.  He never pronounces my name correctly.  After going to the little passholder clearance store, we went to see the Bourne Spectacular stunt show which we had never seen.  I have to say it was very entertaining and just a really good production value.  Can't believe I waited this long.  

We went out of the park to the NBC grill for a drink before dinner at BiCE at Portofino.  It's usually a great meal, but was only "okay" this time.  After dinner we headed over to Islands of Adventure (IOA) and went back to "HarryPotterLand" to ride Forbidden Journey then over to Hagrid's.  The posted wait time was 100 minutes, but we got on through the Express Pass line in 30 (nice) even with the threat of a thunderstorm.  After the ride I got a 2nd gen wand and we did some wand adventures for awhile. Like I said, it's really fun and challenging and a good way to take a break between ride lines.  After that we headed over to VelociCoaster (front row always).  On our way out we did the Cat in the Hat - one more we had never done.  Cute ride, but I still feel bad for the fish.  Finally we got on the boat and headed to the room.  I love the parks at night so I'm glad we stayed late.  We got a lot done.

After that we went into Wizarding World and noted that the Battle at the Ministry was down for the 11:00 time, but you could still try the virtual queue.  This is a very frustrating ordeal and we did not get a spot. Within the Wizarding World, there are spots where old wands will work, but some spots that you'll have to buy a whole new wand for (of course).  I believe they were $85.

So, we walked over to Monster's Unchained - again a really incredible attraction with a great story, ride mechanics, and audio-animatronics that are hard to tell from real life monsters.  The wait time was 60 minutes, but only took us 45.  It was worth it.  Because I don't know how to plan park visits, we went all the way over to Isle of Berk and did the Winged Gliders, also a fun coaster.  I don't know the How To Train Your Dragon franchise at all, so we went back to Wizarding World for lunch at Cafe L'air De La Sirene.  It was okay, but good enough for a quick lunch.  We tried again for a 3:00 Ministry queue, but still did not get one.  Finally going way back to Super Nintendo World, we went to the Mine Cart Madness.  Wait time was listed at 90 minutes (It was 150 in the morning) so I figured it would actually be around 60.  I though this would be acceptable.  About 2/3 of the way through the line, a thunderstorm came through (it is central Florida after all).  We waited anyway and ended up waiting 2 1/2 hours total.  It was a fun ride, but I personally wouldn't wait more than 45 minutes for it.  Even though I like the games, Nintendo World can be overwhelming - lots of stuff going on.  Still fun to see and there were a lot of interactive elements.  I mean it's based on video games, so there's that.

We went from here back to Dark Universe and did the Curse of the Werewolf.  By then it had about a 25 minute wait.  Fun, spinny coaster.  I noticed that the windmill at the Burning Blade was not burning.  For our last trip around the park we went back to Wizarding World for a dinner at Le Gobelet Noir.  It reminds me a lot of Three Broomsticks - in fact, as you walk into the main entrance, look on the wall for the 2 broomsticks and the unleaky cauldron.  Finally as it was after 8pm, we decided to do the atrium tour of the Ministry of Magic.  Luckily we were able to get on the ride thanks to a couple who got a spot in the queue and let us tag along with them.  Note: I had been checking throughout the day and the virtual queue would be opened at random times, so don't give up.  However, I still don't like the whole virtual queue thing.  The ride itself is technically amazing and a really fun story.

Overall, Epic is pretty much in line with everything Universal has done.  Immersive, lots of detail, technically amazing rides, fun for families.  Restaurants could be better, but hey, theme park.  It was nice that for at least the preview days they were opened until after sunset.  It has a whole different feel.  

After our tour of the Ministry, we headed out of the park, gathered our luggage and car and made the 2 hour trek home.  It was a great quick trip, but we'll be headed back soon I'm sure.

Our next destination was to the Helios Grand.  We splurged a little and got a park view.  Really worth it.  After drying off, our plan was to go to Universal Studios.  We waited some time for a bus that turned out to be a Mears bus.  Seems like they're still working out the kinks on bus transport.  Nevertheless we made it to the parking area and walked over to the US entry.  We headed straight to Finnegans for a late lunch.  Next, we headed into Diagon Alley for the Escape from Gringotts.  We still had the express pass from Portofino so lines were not an issue.  After Gringotts we toured around Diagon Alley a bit before heading over to Men In Black.  In the summer this is the best place to go as it always seems like the coldest attraction in the parks.  Left there and headed around the lake to the Revenge of the Mummy.  By now we were getting pretty tired.  I know it doesn't seem like we did much, but after working the day before, a relatively late night and an early morning, we were due for a coffee.  We wanted to do the Bourne Experience (we've never done it) but we would have had to wait 35 minutes for the next show, so we opted to leave.  We ducked into a couple of shops on the way out again to a Mears bus back to Helios.  All the restaurants at Helios were full and even the bar was reservation only so we got room service and watched the Epic park from our room view.

I will say I think Universal should build a monorail from Epic to City Walk, so that's a free suggestion.  And I'm sure it would be a cheap build.

Next day was our Epic day.  To be continued.

Day 1 (Saturday May 3) we drove up late and checked into Portofino.  It's probably our favorite of the on-property hotels, plus we like the advantage of the included express pass.  After checking in we headed off to Islands of Adventure.  Crowds were not big here which is nice.  We did the Forbidden Journey first after a stop in Hog's Head  which is always a cool place to get a drink.  After that we went over to VelociCoaster which is my favorite. We always wait for the front seats.  With Express pass I'm guessing we waited 10 minutes total.  After that, as it was getting dark, we rode Skull Island.  The park closed at 9PM so we just walked around towards the front a little and enjoyed it.  We went over to Big Fire in City Walk and there were no reservations available so we found empty seats at the bar which was a surprise.  Dinner was good.  After that we went back to the room a little later than expected to prepare for an early morning.