The Polite Traveler

Restaurants in Hogsmeade Are they Expensive & Overrated or Good Food Reasonably Priced? Revised 4/2021 Dear Polite Traveler, Ah to be young, free and playing my day away in the sun.  Well, that’s exactly what I did for my 60 th birthday , except that I shared it with thousands of others at Universal Orlando immersing myself in everything Harry Potter.  This included trying out as much of the various food options offered by those in the Wizarding world.  In this case, I’m eating my way through Hogsmeade.  Was it worth it?  Follow along to find out. Note : Follow CDC guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.    Three Broomsticks As my travel buddy/husband and I trekked our way from the Hogwarts Express into Hogsmeade I fought tears of joy.  It looked and felt so much like the books and movies.  One difference is the mass of muggles.   Glancing to my left, I see a building adorned...

There's More to Do Than Just Ride Rollercoasters in These Parks Revised 4/2021 Dear Polite Traveler, Turning 60 is a major life event for a woman.  Or, is that just me?  For my 60th, I wanted to play like a kid again and indulge my love of everything Harry Potter.  Consequently, I decided to spend my hard-earned vacation dollars at Universal Studios Florida.  Nevertheless, I couldn’t just spend all my time, drooling over the new Diagon Alley and Hogsmead—which includes the Hogswart Castle.  I hoped for Galleons of entertainment.  After all, Universal Studios is an active movie studio.  Was I disappointed?  Follow along to find out. Muggle note : Galleons is Wizarding Money. Note : Follow CDC and park guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.   Meet your favorite movie, cartoon, and comic book characters. Smitten with superheroes?  How about a classic movie actor of the past...

Hokey or Realistic?  Over-Priced or Worth Every Penny? Revised 4/2021 Dear Polite Traveler, I’ve always been the mature one, the one to be counted on to be responsible.  However, when I turned 50, I decided that I needed more fun and color in my life.  Out came the purple hats and coffee with friends three times each week.    As I was about to turn 60, my hubby asked where I’d like to go for a special vacation.  Instead of considering a much more “mature” vacation of sitting on a beach somewhere or visiting a museum-laden city, I decided to give in to my inner Potter Head and venture across the country to Orlando Florida.  Universal Orlando and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for me baby!  Note : Follow CDC and park guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.   Since there is so much to see and do in Diagon Alley, I will focus on just the shops in this article. Stocking up on wiz...

Are the Stores Over-Priced or Worth Every Penny? Revised 4/2021 Dear Polite Traveler, Even though I could have vacationed anywhere for my 60th, I chose Universal Orlando specifically to enjoy everything “Harry Potter.”  I wasn’t disappointed but surprised that my hubby and I enjoyed it much as we did.  In fact, we even enjoyed the shops.  Here I share our experiences with those in Hogsmeade.  Note : Follow CDC and park guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.    Escaping for a bit of fun in Hogsmeade These stores are very small and a bit claustrophobic.  I didn’t have much of a problem with people literally breathing down my neck.  Nevertheless, some may.  Therefore, it’s my suggestion to visit the stores in the early morning, during meal times or in the evening just to soak up the ambiance.  Most of the items you might wish to purchase may be found at the various outdoor kiosks, from the ma...

What is the Minion Mayhem Ride at Universal? Revised 4/2021 Dear Polite Traveler, Minion Mayhem 3-D ride is an adventure—a very funny, sweet adventure.  It begins once you enter the queue with videos and trivia on raised screens.  An informational video about our “safety” goggles—our 3-D glasses—greet us as we enter the building.  It’s hilarious. ( video ) Note : Follow CDC and park guidelines when visiting.  Always wear your face mask when in public.    Most Universal rides revolve around some sort of story.  For this ride, we humans are to be trained to be minions—yea us.  After our informational video, we enter another room.  Here, we watch a video about the process of our transformation into banana-craving minions.  The video screen is huge, so it appears as a “window” of Gru’s control room.  This contributes to the feeling of actually being in the same room with Gru, his daughters , and some of his minions.  Once our...