Yesterday I got back from what's now become an annual trip to UO for HHN, well it would've been initially. With no HHN, it turned into a regular trip to the parks, which actually turned out for the better since I took my parents along for the trip. They definitely wanted to see HHN after I've been going for the past two years, and there's also the sheer fact that the last time we were at UO together was...2006. Needless to say, a LOT has changed since then, so having no HHN worked for the better since it was easier for me to show all the new things to them without a crazy rush before HHN would normally kick in. We were able to see everything we wanted to see, and my parents definitely agreed that all the changes were definitely for the better. They loved all the Potter stuff, especially Hagrid's, and they really enjoyed the taste of HHN with the tribute store and the two houses.
As usual for my TR's, I'll focus on brand new experiences, and give some general thoughts on some other things. So when it comes to the brand new experiences, let's start off with the brand new stunt show which opened earlier this year!
The Bourne Stuntacular - For my parents and I, we were all familiar with the Bourne films and knew the show was gonna' combine screens and live actors a la' Terminator 2: 3D. But that was about it. We certainly didn't expect the show would be pulled off the way it is, and we were all seriously impressed by this show! The show really pulls off the illusion of watching a live action film with you as the camera, which is honestly a brilliant move for a studio park. At first I thought the show was showing it's hand too early, but then it kept pulling off one little clever moment after another which made my jaw drop. On the technical side, this show is stunning. An as for the story of the show, it works for what it needs to do. An with seeing the show a couple times, I appreciated how they incorporated live footage of the live actors into the film itself.
Now the first show we saw did run into a tech issue during the start of the Dubai scene (complete with the house lights turning on and off for a moment, which I think is a visual cue for the stunt performers that a E-Stop is happening.), but with how fast the host came out on stage and explained the situation, I thought that was part of the show! It wasn't, but they really made the whole process seamless so it didn't feel jarring. They were able to continue the show with the following stunt/scene, and the rest ran without a hitch. An then the second show we saw ran without a problem.
Overall, my parents and I really enjoyed this show and felt it was a nice step up from Terminator. While T2:3D was nice, I felt that show had a nice beginning and end, but the middle dragged something fierce. Bourne flows a lot better, and the entire show is a lot more impressive with the overall effect it pulls off. Finally I have to add, it's so satisfying hearing the strings of "Extreme Ways" kick in at the end.
The other new experiences actually came in the form of restaurants, as we all ate at places we've never been to before, and they certainly deserve a mention.
For lunch on Saturday, we ate at the Leaky Cauldron which definitely had the longest line we waited in the whole weekend (probably 20-30 minutes). For as much as I've been to theme parks, sometimes I can screw up by hitting the place during lunch rush. Thankfully most of the waiting was under cover in Knockturn Alley, and inside the foyer area before the restaurant proper. An as for lunch, it was worth the wait for us. My parent's shared the Ploughman's which they really enjoyed, and I had the Toad in the Hole which I'd happily get again.
For Dinner, we went our separate ways. Parent's went to Bubba Gump which they always enjoy and Saturday was no exception. As for me, I made it a personal goal to finally eat at Toothsome. In 2018 I never made it there, while last year a couple friends and I got a milkshake which was very nice. For Saturday, I got there at 7pm and found myself with a 2 hr 40min wait. Considering the parks closed at 9pm, this actually didn't bother me since I could still enjoy the parks til close, and still get to eat here. (Also, shortly after I got my reservation, it jumped to a 3 hr wait and they had to stop taking them. So lucky timing on my part.)
So after all this time, was it worth it? Absolutely! I had the May Contain Bacon burger with chips, and a Chocolate Cherry Mule which was a nice end of the day drink to have. All of it was quite tasty and I can see why this place can get slammed. It's honestly a winner.
For Sunday, lunch was at a place I kept seeing mentioned on here as a rather overlooked quick service, Thunder Falls Terrace. We've always passed by this place a plenty, but never really looked into eating there before. But with a lot of you recommending this place, we figured to give it a shot. So first off, THANK YOU. This place was a very nice surprise, I had the rice bowl with chicken, Mom had the Chicken Salad and Dad had the Turkey Leg, all of which were really good! I have to mention the turkey leg since for my Dad that is one of his favorite things out there, but in the past several years at home he's had some sour experiences with places overcooking the things, so he hasn't had the appetite for them. Thankfully for TFT, he happily demolished that thing since they clearly did it right, especially with a tom leg since that thing was huge!
So count me in the list that recommends Thunder Falls Terrace, it's definitely worth it for what you can get, and as a bonus the place is nicely themed and it's got nice views of the River splashdown.
Finally, for dinner we went to Vivo. We made the smart choice to get the reservation in the morning before things got swamped, and it ended up being a bona' fide winner for all of us! We had the Calamari, Puttanesca, Pasta Primavera, Cacio E Pepe and finished it off with the Panna Cotta. (While I washed things down with the Allegro.) Great food, great service and overall a great way to end the vacation!
Next post is going to be the general thoughts of the trip!
As usual for my TR's, I'll focus on brand new experiences, and give some general thoughts on some other things. So when it comes to the brand new experiences, let's start off with the brand new stunt show which opened earlier this year!
The Bourne Stuntacular - For my parents and I, we were all familiar with the Bourne films and knew the show was gonna' combine screens and live actors a la' Terminator 2: 3D. But that was about it. We certainly didn't expect the show would be pulled off the way it is, and we were all seriously impressed by this show! The show really pulls off the illusion of watching a live action film with you as the camera, which is honestly a brilliant move for a studio park. At first I thought the show was showing it's hand too early, but then it kept pulling off one little clever moment after another which made my jaw drop. On the technical side, this show is stunning. An as for the story of the show, it works for what it needs to do. An with seeing the show a couple times, I appreciated how they incorporated live footage of the live actors into the film itself.
Now the first show we saw did run into a tech issue during the start of the Dubai scene (complete with the house lights turning on and off for a moment, which I think is a visual cue for the stunt performers that a E-Stop is happening.), but with how fast the host came out on stage and explained the situation, I thought that was part of the show! It wasn't, but they really made the whole process seamless so it didn't feel jarring. They were able to continue the show with the following stunt/scene, and the rest ran without a hitch. An then the second show we saw ran without a problem.
Overall, my parents and I really enjoyed this show and felt it was a nice step up from Terminator. While T2:3D was nice, I felt that show had a nice beginning and end, but the middle dragged something fierce. Bourne flows a lot better, and the entire show is a lot more impressive with the overall effect it pulls off. Finally I have to add, it's so satisfying hearing the strings of "Extreme Ways" kick in at the end.
The other new experiences actually came in the form of restaurants, as we all ate at places we've never been to before, and they certainly deserve a mention.
For lunch on Saturday, we ate at the Leaky Cauldron which definitely had the longest line we waited in the whole weekend (probably 20-30 minutes). For as much as I've been to theme parks, sometimes I can screw up by hitting the place during lunch rush. Thankfully most of the waiting was under cover in Knockturn Alley, and inside the foyer area before the restaurant proper. An as for lunch, it was worth the wait for us. My parent's shared the Ploughman's which they really enjoyed, and I had the Toad in the Hole which I'd happily get again.
For Dinner, we went our separate ways. Parent's went to Bubba Gump which they always enjoy and Saturday was no exception. As for me, I made it a personal goal to finally eat at Toothsome. In 2018 I never made it there, while last year a couple friends and I got a milkshake which was very nice. For Saturday, I got there at 7pm and found myself with a 2 hr 40min wait. Considering the parks closed at 9pm, this actually didn't bother me since I could still enjoy the parks til close, and still get to eat here. (Also, shortly after I got my reservation, it jumped to a 3 hr wait and they had to stop taking them. So lucky timing on my part.)
So after all this time, was it worth it? Absolutely! I had the May Contain Bacon burger with chips, and a Chocolate Cherry Mule which was a nice end of the day drink to have. All of it was quite tasty and I can see why this place can get slammed. It's honestly a winner.
For Sunday, lunch was at a place I kept seeing mentioned on here as a rather overlooked quick service, Thunder Falls Terrace. We've always passed by this place a plenty, but never really looked into eating there before. But with a lot of you recommending this place, we figured to give it a shot. So first off, THANK YOU. This place was a very nice surprise, I had the rice bowl with chicken, Mom had the Chicken Salad and Dad had the Turkey Leg, all of which were really good! I have to mention the turkey leg since for my Dad that is one of his favorite things out there, but in the past several years at home he's had some sour experiences with places overcooking the things, so he hasn't had the appetite for them. Thankfully for TFT, he happily demolished that thing since they clearly did it right, especially with a tom leg since that thing was huge!
So count me in the list that recommends Thunder Falls Terrace, it's definitely worth it for what you can get, and as a bonus the place is nicely themed and it's got nice views of the River splashdown.
Finally, for dinner we went to Vivo. We made the smart choice to get the reservation in the morning before things got swamped, and it ended up being a bona' fide winner for all of us! We had the Calamari, Puttanesca, Pasta Primavera, Cacio E Pepe and finished it off with the Panna Cotta. (While I washed things down with the Allegro.) Great food, great service and overall a great way to end the vacation!
Next post is going to be the general thoughts of the trip!