i know it's a tad bit melodramatic to entitle this trip report as such but for me, it was exactly like that.
Side Story: When The Boyfriend asked me where i wanted to go for my 2 weeks holiday, i said i must (emphasize on must! haha!) go to Florida to see my best friends even for just a few days and Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I was over to the moon when he finally booked our flights (Thank you sweetheart for the flights!) and i got to spend 3 whole days with my bestest friends before i fly again to the other side of the country for the next leg of my trip.
Imagine the excitement between me and my friends for our grand reunion. And when we finally saw each other it was epic! Yes, tears were involved. haha!
14 years and counting
So, how did the 3 day trip go? Let me share some chika...
The Boyfriend and I took the LAX Flyaway Bus enroute to the airport. Each person cost 7 US$ for each way. I have to apologize for the lack of information in this area as my system that time has hit its crashing point since we left Manhattan Beach. Thus, i can only recall whining to my boyfriend that i was tired. haha!
Flyaway
Check - in experience with American Airlines was fast. It took us a bit of a time going through the TSA as we were hand carrying Jollibee food (read: chicken joy, spaghetti, peach mango pie) so they have to double check. We, I for the most part, was worried that they might not allow the food as the gravy spilled all over the chickens. Thankfully, they let us through with our Jollibee pasalubong. Moreover, I was so out of my self that when we reached the boarding gate, i can't find my boarding pass and thought i lost it along the way so i asked for a new one. Aaand as soon as i boarded the flight, i finally succumbed to deep sleep.
After 8 hours of travel, we arrived Orlando at almost 6 am and were fetched by my friends. Since it was still early, we had enough time to have breakfast, rest for a bit and prepare for the day.
Moving on, let's break down the trip report to the each day i was there...
Day 1
Given the limited time i had in Orlando, we have decided to hit the Universal Studios to finally see The Harry Potter Themepark (my way of naming the place. hehe!) on our first day. It was hot. Scorching hot weather. I was so tempted to use my umbrella but nobody was using one. Obviously, it was not a norm in a themepark. hahaha!
Thizzit!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has 2 areas: Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. We went to the Hogsmeade first.
I'm here! I'm really here!
Let me reiterate again that it was hot. Not only hot but also crowded. We walked around to see what was there to see. I was pointing to each store to The Boyfriend, explaining what stuff they sell and in return he gave me this "i still don't get it" look. Yes, The Boyfriend is not a Harry Potter fan. boo him! haha!
Of course, one of the things i was so looking forward was to taste the butterbeer. as soon as i saw this big barrel of butterbeer, i told The Boyfriend that we must try it! You have the option to buy the butterbeer in plastic cup or have the butterbeer in a commemorative cup. We chose the one in a commemorative cup, which of course is more expensive. We kept the cups as a souvenir. hehe.
So how does it taste like? It tasted like a caramel soda with a froth. It was actually too sweet and you can't drink in all in one gulp. I wasn't able to finish my cup. hehe.
The Butterbeer Experience
Some stores were too crowded and the Ollivanders Wand Store has a long queue outside its store so we went to Honeydukes store to see if i can buy some sweet and yummy souvenirs. As i walked around the store, i realized the price for each yummy treat was way over my souvenir budget. i felt like it was too much for a price of chocolate frogs, so we left the store empty handed. haha!
We had our lunch at the Best themepark restaurant (according the themepark insider), Mythos, which we all thought was overrated. Service was extremely slow and the food was unremarkable.
After lunch, we queued to ride the Hogwarts Express. This experience has truly excited the hogwarts fan out of me. As in!!! I think this was one of the highlights of my Hogwarts Themepark adventure. Must try!!!
The train traveled from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley was a different experience all together. You will really feel like you were visiting Diagon Alley. I was soooooo happy and kilig! aaack!!
When i saw the "12 Grimmauld Place", i asked The Boyfriend to take my photo with it. And he was like, "why? what's with this place. Take my picture too!" Nakiki-in! Che! haha!
12 Grimmauld Place
Hello Diagon Alley!
crowded diagon alley
Gringotts!!!
Surprisingly, queue to Ollivanders Wand Store was short. We were immediately ushered in. Inside the wand store was a short show which i immensely enjoyed. I felt like a first year student to Hogwarts! haha!
After the show, we shopped for a wand. It was for The Boyfriend's sister so we bought something we thought would suit her.
We walked around some more and found the Knockturn Alley. It was also amazing. Too bad i wasn't able to take some photos. Boo me!
We didn't try the rides and explore each store as the weather really drained the energy out of us.
As we walked around the Universal Studios, the boys were thinking of riding that crazy rollercoaster but the queue was too long so we opted to watch the Shrek 4D Show first. Sadly, the sky poured out heavily after the show so we had to wait inside the cinema until it was clear for us to walk back to the parking lot since it was closing time.
To cap off our first day together, we had japanese for dinner. Lovely lovely dinner. (it rhymes. corny!)
i'm not a wheel-er anymore! i have a date!
Day 2
On our second day, i had no idea where exactly we were going but i was not really fussy. Anything was good to me.
We went to Disney Downtown. It was a massive area for dining, shopping and entertainment. Too bad most areas were in renovation, thus, we were only able to explore some areas.
I finally tried ghirardeli! I ordered the sea salt caramel sundae. It was so sinfully yummy.
Right: Posing with the legos at the Lego Store
then it was time for us to drive The Boyfriend to the airport. He was flying back to California for work. Boohoo.
matching raybans
We had dinner at Cheesecake Factory and again, we don't have any group photos. *sigh* As for the food, i'll post a separate entry for my US food trip. hehe.
Day 3
On my last day in Orlando, my friends and I went to The Mall of Millenia to (window) shop. haha! Half way through our snack at the mall's food court, we realized we haven't took any group photos for that day. So we camwhored until it was time for us to go.
My flight was at 6:55 pm so all my friends (yes, all of them) went to Airport to drop me off. It was a heartbreaking moment to bid goodbye to them. As i was saying goodbye i started crying again. It was embarrassing but kebs na. haha!
Orlando Airport has a harry potter shop wherein i was able to buy a gryffindor scarf and wand as pasalubong. Too bad i didn't have enough time to explore other areas of the airport. Maybe next time.
Last Thoughts About Orlando, Florida
I guess my 3 days justified the title of this trip entry. my 3 wishes have come true. First, to visit and reunite with my bestest friends. Secondly, to visit Harry Potter Themepark. Lastly, introduce my boyfriend to my closest and oldest friends. And also meet my bestfriend's husband and their little munchkin. I'm glad we all hit it off pretty good. It was one for the books!
I would also like to extend our special thanks to Castillo/Trias Family for accommodating us. We were extremely grateful.
Obviously 3 days are not enough. never enough. despite the limited time i am still the happiest girl. I am hopeful *wink*wink* that i could visit again really soon. We still have a lot of catching up to do.
Thank you bessy Maureen and Dianne! I love you both so much! See you soon mga baks! Kisses to Allie and Addy!
Thank you to The Boyfriend for being you. Apparently, my friends love your humor. They find your twitheart hirits charming. Echos ka!
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