All aboard!
The Hogwarts Express was about to leave Hogsmeade Station nestled within the charming village of Hogsmeade, inside Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and travel to King’s Cross Station in the London area of Universal Studios Florida.
We raced through the massive train station and rushed onto the platform to board the locomotive made famous in the Harry Potter movies as the whistle sounded, “Choo! Choo!” and smoke blew from the steam engine.
I was with my sister Kathleen, her husband Tony and my nephew Aaron. We were the only ones in the family with the two park, one day pass while on our vacation to Orlando, Florida in June 2019.
Our foursome had enjoyed hopping from ride to ride at the second of two theme parks; and we were heading back to the main gate to drop off my mode of transportation for the day and to pick up our vehicle in the parking garage.
Since I was driving a motorized cart, I definitely had the advantage of being the first of my posse to arrive on the platform. However I took a wrong turn and ended up being boxed in by a fence on two sides.
Aaron broke out into a fit of laughter due to my miscalculation in attempting to be the first to arrive at the gate. He came running over to help me navigate my wheels back in the right direction.
But the hilarity did not end there. Our train ride was a regular comedy show on wheels.
As we boarded the locomotive, our train attendant, who was dressed as one of the many characters from the popular movies, spoke with a high-pitched voice.
My eyes became as big as saucers as I climbed off the electric scooter. I looked at my sister and stated, “What’s wrong with her?” She let out a snicker and told me to take Aaron by the arm and get on the locomotive.
Stepping onto the passenger railroad car, she announced the car and cabin number, “C-2,” in which we were to sit four times as each of us walked by her getting on the train.
Aaron and I convulsed with laughter when we stepped into our cabin. I gave my nephew a playful shove as we both slumped onto the long bench seat unable to silence our amusement.
When Tony entered the cabin, our merriment went into high gear. He stated that her elevator didn’t reach the top floor; I chimed in by saying she was one brick shy of a load; and Aaron noted that someone must have spiked her punch.
The three of us were acting like a bunch of kindergartners on the playground. My sister, the only sensible one in the group, attempted to play the teacher by reprimanding her pupils. She wasn’t very successful in her task.
We only grew more obnoxious and boisterous. Then I began snorting like a little pig, which only added more fuel to the fire to our constant giggling.
With a park-to-park admission ticket, we boarded the Hogwarts Express earlier that day and rode the train from King’s Cross Station in London at Universal Studios Florida and traveled to Hogsmeade Station in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
Once onboard, we encountered many familiar characters and creatures from the Harry Potter books and films from the comfort of our benched seating inside our cabin as we watched the British countryside pass by our window.
This was not your everyday train ride. It was every bit as exciting as any other attraction in the sister parks.
We had to keep our wits about us as there appeared to be other passengers walking up and down the hallway past our cabin.
We could hear them talking about us with their English accents just beyond the sliding glass door. One such passenger even pressed their hands and face against the glass, which caused me to burst out with laughter.
But nothing and no one brought us more amusement then our animated train attendant on the return trip at the end of the evening.
There is an old Yiddish proverb that says, “What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” And that definitely held true as our high spirits reached a fever pitch.
As I let out a snort of laughter, our enthusiastic train attendant popped her head into the door of our cabin.
At that point, Tony jumped two feet off his seat and grabbed at his heart. “You scared me half to death.”
I thought that it was so ironic. Because I am the one that is usually very jumpy in situations like that. But this time the shoe was on the other foot.
I was about ready to roar with yet another belly laugh. But what came out of the park employees mouth made me shriek with laughter even louder.
“I scare because I care,” she quipped. And with that said, she disappeared down the corridor.
I gave my sister, who was attempting to defend the train attendant as being in character, a sideways grin. “Okay, that was a bit strange.”
You think?
We all began to howl and repeat what she said. I was laughing so hard, I thought I was going to wet myself.
Kathleen assured us that the park employee, who sounded like she had sucked helium out of a balloon, worked at Hogsmeade Station and would not be at King’s Cross Station.
However, as soon as the train pulled into the station, that same train attendant, who sounded more like Minnie Mouse than anything else, opened our cabin door to announce our arrival at the depot.
We all erupted into another fit of laughter. When Aaron helped me get into one side of the electric scooter as we exited the locomotive, I nearly fell out the other side from laughing so hard.
I sped through the terminal with Aaron chasing me down the long corridor as we shook with laughter all the way to the main gate while leaving the park.