Skip to main content

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The other day when I told you all about our trip to Disney World, I neglected to mention our side trip to Universal Studios. Our purpose for going there was to see the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but you can't very well spend $85 to see one small section of an amusement park, so we bought tickets to see all of Universal—Islands of Adventure and the Studios park.

I'm not a roller coaster rider, so we didn't want to spend all day at Islands. We went there first just to see Harry Potter, which is one section of the place, like Jurassic Park and Dr. Seuss land are sections. Harry Potter World is off in the corner, and either we took a wrong turn, or you literally have to walk through the weird world of Dr. Seuss to get there. It's basically Diagon Alley with a roller coaster, a small Hippogriff ride and Hogwarts at the end.

Along the alley, there are some shops you can go into, like the wand shop and the candy shop. The candy shop is connected to the toy shop, and they are both small and cramped, and we spent $10 on a chocolate frog. The wand shop includes a show where a kid is chosen and is matched with a wand, but you can skip the show and just go into the shop. There is a line either way, though, because the place is small, and if they didn't control the crowds, you wouldn't be able to see your feet in there. The thing is, you can buy these wands at any of the Universal gift shops, so you would really only go in here for the experience of seeing it.

We had lunch at Three Broomsticks, which has great meals like shepherd's pie and pasties, so you aren't stuck with a crappy hotdog or old chicken sandwich, and they sell butter beer. We ordered butter beer with our lunch because how can you not, but it was so sweet, we could each only drink about a third of it.

The main attraction here is Hogwarts, and you can't miss it. The castle is huge and at the end of the road, and it houses Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, seriously the most fascinating park ride I've ever experienced. Let me just say, though, that it's initially also the most disorganized. You get whipped around a bit on this ride, so they don't allow bags or anything that doesn't fit in your pockets, so you have to store everything in little lockers just inside the castle area. It's a mad house trying to find one in these claustrophobic chambers, but once you store your stuff, you get back in line and catch your breath. We waited about an hour, and the line snaked through the green house and then into the castle. Inside the castle, you shuffle through the Hall of Portraits, and you wander through Dumbledore's Office and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Once at the ride, you are harnessed into a tight seat, and off you go. I won't give anything away, but the ride really amazing. Afterward, though, you have to go back into the dark chambers and retrieve your bags. That's unfortunate.

Here is Hagrid's house, which you can't go into, but you can see from one of the lines—I think from the Hippogriff ride line, which you shouldn't bother with. The Hippogriff ride is about two minutes long and hardly worth the trouble:

This is Eustacia hamming it up with the train engineer;

We really enjoyed the World of Harry Potter and would love to go back for the Hogwarts experience, but make sure you want to spend all day at a Universal park, because this one portion only takes about two or three hours to see.

Comments

dive said…
Boffo!
That looks like a fantastic place to visit, Robyn.
12:13 PM
Unknown said…
Thanks for the great post on your blog, it really gives me an insight on this topic.
zoella ombre
9:18 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Classic Green Bean Bake

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I feel I must post a recipe with plenty of good old American tradition. The classic Green Bean Bake was invented in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, a home economist who worked for the Campbell's Soup Company. A study was done determining that 50% of all Americans have eaten the classic Green Bean Bake, and 38% of those believe it is best served during the holidays, mainly Thanksgiving. So, for the other 50% and for those in other countries where this dish may be unfamiliar--my treat: The Classic Green Bean Bake serves 6 to 8 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon soy sauce Dash of fresh pepper 1 20-oz. bag frozen cut green beans, thawed* 1 2.8 oz can French-fried onions -Preheat the oven to 350 F -In a casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce and pepper. Stir in the green beans and half of the onions. -Bake until bubbling, about 25 minutes. Top with the remaining onions and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve hot. *Or cook 1 ...
7 comments
Read more

Bring On the Bombs

In today's edition : I generally try to keep on top of cultural trends even if I don’t adopt them, but there is a growing movement that I have only just discovered. Not long ago, I was walking along in Berkeley, California while visiting my daughter, and I saw a signpost that had been covered with yarn, like someone had sewn a knitted scarf to it. It was colorful and randomly striped, and I pointed it out as if it were the most unusual thing in the world. That’s when my daughter explained the nature of what is known as yarn bombing. It’s when knitters attach something they’ve created to a public object, most often doing their deed stealthily and anonymously. They leave a “bomb,” so to speak, for no other purpose than to brighten up the place and to bring a little cheer to those passing by. Their work has been equated with graffiti, except that the woven yarn is not permanently installed and does no damage to the object it covers. And instead of signifying the territory of a street ...
2 comments
Read more

Cindy Loo Who In October

What is it with people and Cindy Loo Who? Of my last one hundred blog hits, forty have been direct visits from regular readers, and fifteen have been as a result of people searching for "Cindy Loo Who," the little pixie from Seuss's How The Grinch Stole Christmas . A couple of years ago, I posted an image of the original Seuss illustration as compared to the TV cartoon image, and for some reason, that post is bringing in the crowds, relatively. Maybe it's the weather. It isn't even November yet, and already we've had frost and have had to dust off our winter coats. When it gets cold like this, I start to think about Christmasy things like listening to Nat King Cole and decorating the tree. It's ironic because I am offended when retailers start pushing holiday stuff early, but I don't mind my own private celebrations. When my sister and I were much younger and still living with our parents, we would pick a day in July, close the curtains to darken the ...
8 comments
Read more