I got a phone call around 7:30 a.m. this morning. It was an Asian American Chamber member saying that they had an extra ticket for the Mardi Gras parade tonight.
She probably called me as she knew I wouldn’t have plans. Ha. I made it to Universal around 3:00 p.m. I received free parking and a free park to park ticket. I don’t know which was worse driving to Universal or walking around Islands of Adventure. Everything is so busy. For me, going to Universal once a year is perfect. In Islands of Adventure, I rode the Harry Potter ride with the kuka robotic arm. I skipped the train between the two parks, because it was too long of a wait. I walked out and went to Southwest Moe’s for dinner. Then, I went to Universal and rode Gringotts Wizarding Bank. I was able to use the single rider line for both Harry Potter rides. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know the story, but the simulation and ride experience is pretty neat. Universal, on a whole, will never measure up to Disney, but it was fun for a few hours (Universal’s website is the tip of the iceberg quality-wise).
I ran into the Asian Chamber of Commerce members in Diagon Alley. We walked over to Barney’s, the spot we were to meet for the float. We waited for about an hour and headed to our float. It was a lot of fun. I got to be on the top of the float, so I was able to throw to the back of the crowds.