Universal Mardi Gras 2024. “Feet don’t fail me now”. Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (Let the good times Roll). Skeletons, Gator’s, Beads, Parades & More

[Robo56]

It was funny I had never noticed that this was a bank safe on it side at the Lemonade stand.



My next stop was Seuss Landing. This is such a colorful fun place for kids and adults. I never get tired of walking through here.









To be continued

 

[DL1WDW2]

I think you invited others to post their pictures….

 

[DL1WDW2]

Plus this one We call Breakfast of Champions :

Celebrating Kansas City Chiefs wearing my KC Chief Pink Flamingo shirt and Voodoo & Starbucks

 

[DL1WDW2]

I wonder if Taylor Swift would pay me a lot for this KC Chiefs Hawaiian Shirt in the size she would want SuperBowlSize!

 

[Robo56]

I think you invited others to post their pictures….

Yes, please share your photos. I love them.

I did not see the Gator light up popcorn buckets. Those are so cute.

Great photos of the Mardi Gras Parade performers. They are happy folks and appear to really enjoy being in the parade and interacting with people.

Mardi Gras Scooby is cool.

Great side view of my fav float the Gator.

Celebrating Kansas City Chiefs wearing my KC Chief Pink Flamingo shirt and Voodoo & Starbucks

Nice Celebratory breakfast at CityWalk. Great shirt.

I wonder if Taylor Swift would pay me a lot for this KC Chiefs Hawaiian Shirt in the size she would want SuperBowlSize!

She might.

 

[Robo56]

Wednesday, February 7th continued

The walls were down from in front of Circus McGurkus. I have eaten here many moons ago and the food was good.

I also like the track on the High and the Sky trolley that goes through Circus McGurkus. I think the track is still split with the one to the left going through a section of Circus McGurkus and the right side track staying outside. I will make sure to ride it next visit to make sure its still the same.


These plant characters that are spread around Seuss Landing are really cute.











The small door for the little ones to enter the store is really sweet.




Cute sign as you leave Seuss Landing.

Now I was leaving Seuss Landing and entering The Lost Continent



Mytho’s restaurant is beautiful inside and out. I have had hit and miss meals here over the years. I usually try and make a visit once a year.

On a really hot day this restaurant is cool inside and a nice respite from the heat.

 

[Robo56]

I found another small door. This one on Mytho’s. I’am sure I have seen this before, but it really stuck out to me this day.


Poseidon’s Trident has probably been a photo taken by many walking through the Lost Continent.


Another admission here. I never noticed the head before.


I will admit it will be odd not seeing Posiedon’s Adventure anymore. The exterior was incredible and the show was good.

To all the TM performers who did the show you all were awesome over the years. Thank you for your performances and dedication.

 

[Robo56]

I wanted to walk through the Halloween Boutique which is located in the Lost Continent. I knew the Boutique would have some Mardi Gras displays and I wanted to see those. Sadly the boutique was not open yet so I walked on and went to Hogsmeade.



It was already busy.

I love the wonky roof tops.



Many moons ago I had made reservations at Portofino for myself our son, daughter in law and our two youngest grandchildren (their sweet babies) to attend the opening of Hogsmeade. Then the opening was pushed back and my heart sank as I knew how much it meant to them.

After I called the resort they told me everyone who had resort reservations would be allowed to go and preview Hogsmeade before it opened to the general public.

We had the best time. It was wonderful getting to roam Hogsmeade, Enjoy Ollivanders Wand show for the first time. That was back before they had interactive wands.

Walking through Hogwarts Castle for the first time was magical.

The executives were walking around and asking how we thought the experience was. I told them it was incredible, but they had underestimated the crowd they would have coming to Hogsmeade. I told then it was to narrow and the shops were to small to handle the volume of people that would be coming. They seemed to really take in the comments.

The Stars of Harry Potter came during the time we were there. We were able to get the awesome celebration lanyards and bought some of the merchandise. It was a wonderful trip.

I remember seeing the pictures on opening day June 18, 2010 of Hogsmeade there were thousands wanting to get in. I was so thankful we were able to preview the park.

It is odd to think Hogsmeade has been open for 14 years.

Opening more stores in Hogsmeade would really add to the experience. I could see moving merchandise that already exits into the respective non-usable store. Like all the books could be located in the book shop Tomes & Scrolls etc. Not sure it thats possible with what they have. It would for sure take in more folks to wander around the shops. We can always wish.

Without a doubt Opening Hogsmeade 14 years ago put Universal back on the map.

Then the opening of Diagon Alley July 8, 2014 sent it into the stratosphere. It is going to be fun seeing the addition of the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe and all that land has to offer, I don’t think the interest in Harry Potter will ever die down,





I always like to walk through Honey Dukes to see what is new.




I Iike the Three Broomsticks roasted meals. I have had the Family Feast meal with my family many times and is a really good choice to feed a hungry family for a fair price.


If you want a special treat go out back and sit at one of the picnic tables enjoy your meal and watch the Velocicoaster fly by.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I bet that is a great place to be in the evening to wait for the Castle show too !

 

[Robo56]

The Hog’s Head can be reached by walking through Three B’s or by an outside entrance next. There are tables inside for you to sit and enjoy your favorite beverage.



The Hogshead behind the bar moves.




The signage and store fronts in Hogsmeade are awesome.


I walked in Dervish & Banges to have a look around. I liked these books and knew they would have to be added to my Potter collection at home. The graphics on the covers and the interior were beautiful.







Then it was back outside to look at more store fronts.

 

[Robo56]

View attachment 838775

So cute. Don’t recall seeing that sign before.

 

[Robo56]

I think the name of this store front is fun. I just wish there were more stores open in Hogsmeade. It would make it more realistic and it would soak up a few more folks. Hogsmeade can get pretty clogged up and busy sometimes.

Who wouldn’t want to go into Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop for some cakes and tea.




I would love to wonder through this book shop.







To be continued

 

[Robo56]

It is fun to take photos of Hogwarts Castle. I enjoy looking at the Castle. I think it is so nice to see other folks photos of Hogwarts Castle too.








Snowy rooftops with Icicles and a Snowman in 70 degree weather. That is magical for sure.

 

[Robo56]

I turned around and it was time to leave Hogsmeade.
















The Hogswarts Express was down so my plans were to walk over to Universal and take a few pics, have lunch then head back to the the resort for a rest up before the parade this evening.

Walking back through The Lost Continent I passed the The Mystic Fountain. I have enjoyed sitting nearby over the years and watching folks interact with the Fountain. There have been more than a few that have left wetter then when they arrived.


I stopped for a photo of Veloscicoaster and Mytho’s across the water.

 

[Robo56]

A couple more photos in Port of Entry on the way out.



What is so nice about Universal is that both of the parks Universal and IOA are very close to walk to.

You can always take to Hogwarts Express between the two parks if you have a Park to Park ticket and of course your AP.

You go left after you leave IOA and walk past Toothsome and Hard Rock and you are at the entrance to Universal Studios.






I was in for a rude awaking. Every line possible right and left to enter the park was bogged down with people all the way past guest services and it was not moving. Not sure if the new facial recognition was holding things up, but after 10 minutes I gave up.

I was surprised there were so many people this time of day wanting to get in the park on a Wednesday morning. I took this as a sign that Mardi Gras was going to be busy this evening.

I decided to pick up my Mardi Gras food and beverage card. It is a good deal. If you are an AP holder you can purchase a $ 150.00 card for $ 120.00. If you are Preferred and Premier AP holders you can get your discount also when using the card. The card is good to use even after Mardi Gras.

I used the card at some of the booths for HHN without issue.

The card is in a plastic slip in cover with a blue cord lanyard.

After purchasing my Food card I decided to head back over to IOA for an early lunch at Confisco Grille. There would be no getting in Universal Studios this morning for me.



My favorites at Confisco are the Ahi Tuna Nacho’s and the Hummus. The Hummus on the menu was lemon and pumpkin Hummus. I asked for the regular Hummus and the Chef made it without issue. I never finish these as these would be easily be shared by 2 or 3 others, but it so good. My waitress was so nice. She asked if she could box up the leftovers and I declined. I don’t usually take food back to the room.




After lunch I went back through the big Port of Entry Trading store and purchased the books I liked, The Hogwarts Necklace and the Minion Bob dressed up like his bear Tim and then I was off to the Water taxi.

It was about 12:30 and there was only 4 of us on the boat back to Sapphire Falls.

After getting back to the Resort I headed to my room. I had a nice soak in the tub and then it was time for a nap. I wanted to rest up for the the trip back to Universal this evening and the Mardi Gras parade. The parade was going to be earlier this evening at 5:15pm.

I covered up with my comfy Potter blanket and I was out.


To be continued

 

[keishashadow]

You need to leave breadcrumb trail in SANS thread when doing a TR. just stumbled on this!

We really enjoy Mardi Gras at U. Would always work it in with the WDW arts festival when in area that time. It’s been too long for us.

I think these floats are the best in FL

There is a happy balance. Vacation time should be equal parts fun time, exploring and rest.

Exactly! Should be embroidered on a pillow

This Plush Gator was adorable and I bought one for my little great-nephew J. He loves stuffed characters and I new he would love this Gato

Lol it’s so expressive

have a few Potter blankets and that one is my favorite. It is quintessential Potter. It has Hedwig, Hogwarts Castle on it, The Womping Willow, Sirius Black in his Animagus form Padfoot and Buckbeak.

When I first saw the pic earlier in thread, immediate thot was they really upgraded the bed linens in the SF suites since we were last there.

That’s a nice blanket

 

[Robo56]

You need to leave breadcrumb trail in SANS thread when doing a TR. just stumbled on this!

Will do.

We really enjoy Mardi Gras at U. Would always work it in with the WDW arts festival when in area that time. It’s been too long for us.

I think these floats are the best in FL

Universal has really done a nice job of growing the Mardi Gras celebration over the years.

You are right, the floats are awesome. They are very well designed.

When I first saw the pic earlier in thread, immediate thot was they really upgraded the bed linens in the SF suites since we were last there.

That’s a nice blanket

That would be cool if they did put Potter blankets on the bed. What would even be better would be a Potter themed resort.

My younger sister K always brings a blanket to travel with on vacation. I finally started bringing one too. Very convenient for napping for sure.

I have a few Potter blankets this one is my favorite.

So glad to have you reading along.

 

[keishashadow]

That would be cool if they did put Potter blankets on the bed. What would even be better would be a Potter themed resort.

Even if just a smaller, boutique sort a bit offsite would be a big hit. Have wondered if Ms R put the kabosh on that idea?

 

[Robo56]

Even if just a smaller, boutique sort a bit offsite would be a big hit. Have wondered if Ms R put the kabosh on that idea?

Good question. I always wondered after Hogsmeade if she would allow the expansion of Potter themed areas in parks. Then came Diagon Alley now the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe.

There is still so much interest in the Potter parks and all the Potter themed merchandise. I don’t see that waning anytime soon.

I think Hogsmeade and Daigon Alley’s most iconic scenes were brought to life from the books and movies and done tastefully. Planning and development were done very well.

I know that theme parks are always looking at staying relevant in a changing market to keep the interest of people coming and spending their vacation cash with them.

There is room to expand the Potter sections a bit in both parks. That would mean giving up a few areas that are not working ie. Fast and furious etc.

Having an onsite Potter Resort could work. I’am guessing they have the area by Epic Universe to do that. They would have to make the resort financially accessible to everyone. Learning from the mistakes that Disney made in their Star Wars themed interactive themed ship hotel. It did well I initially with all the die hard Star Wars fans staying at an extremely high cost. Then interest faded to the point of them deciding to close it all together.

A Potter themed resort would be awesome. Maybe in the future we will see that happen.

Universal is doing a wonderful job of growing their parks with new ideas.

 

[Robo56]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to this Trip report. Life does get in the way at times. So hopefully I can get back on track now.

February 7th continued.

After I woke up from my nap and it was 2:30 pm. I knew I needed to get moving. The parade was supposed to start at 5:15 pm and I wanted to walk around a little until the parade started.

I got ready to go. It was supposed to be warmer this evening and so I knew I didn’t need my sweatshirt.

The Water Taxi over to CityWalk was not busy.

I was able to get into the park without any issue. I was still wondering what had happened earlier this morning when every line was back up all the way to the portico at the studios,

I walked through the Universal Store and noticed this Mardi Gras scene I had missed before.


Then I walked out the side door to the store turned left and walked past the new Minion area turned right and walked past the area where the Transformers come out,

The little ones love to get their photos taken with the Transformers. It is always fun to watch them look up at the these huge Transformers and get their photos taken for the first time.

Then I walked on to Diagon Alley.

It is always fun to walk into Madam Malkin’s Robes and see what response I will get from the Enchanted Magical talking Mirror.


Diagon Alley is awesome. The theming of is wonderful. I always enjoy looking for signs other things I have missed before on my many visits.





I love this sign.






I always make sure to have a walk through Knockturn Alley.