This is a typical week my family and I like to head down as it usually isn't too crowded. These days were much more crowded than I was expecting, however, we stayed at Royal Pacific so the Express Pass really helped out with ride access. The passes really made a difference as this was my son's first trip down -- he's 3. And it was my daughter's second trip down -- she's 7.
It was a great trip overall with staying at a hotel so close to the parks and weather not being too hot. My wife and I did the Orlando Informer event on Saturday and got a few rides in on Hagrid's and Velocicoaster with minimal waits. This was our second time doing one of these events and we tried to take more advantage of the unlimited food options, but our focus was still on attractions more so than food. It's tough not spending as much time in both Wizarding World areas as possible with lighter crowds. We could literally spend the whole day, even outside the OI events, just walking and enjoying Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
My personal favorite ride is Forbidden Journey, but there were some noticeable issues. Dialogue was out of sync on about every ride we did by a second or two, the Whomping Willow was not working, and another minor effect or two were also out of commission.
This time around, we were able to get my daughter to try some different rides that she was not open to trying on her last trip. She ended up liking Forbidden Journey and Gringotts, but she wanted to hold off another year before trying Hagrid's. She's a very anxious and nervous kid, so I was worried FJ would break down on us and she'd never ride another ride again, but that didn't happen. Her fear of a ride breaking down happened on the lift hill for Woody Woodpecker and the train had to be evacuated with guests walking down the hill. That terrified her for the 20 minutes or so it took for her to get removed, but she did go on it again two days later.
My son wasn't as impressed or interested in much early on in the trip. The most excited he got was going into the SpongeBob shop and seeing the Mystery Machine. But by the last day, he was walking around yelling "expecto patronum" at everyone he saw in Hogsmeade after we rode the Hogwarts Express a few times and he was fascinated with Harry making the Dementor retreat.
Having the Grinchmas show back and the holiday lights on Hogwarts was a highlight. I'll never tire of the castle at night.