I did it. I finally did it. And it was epic. What you ask? I finally visited, the one and only Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, Orlando.
My work set a goal, we met the goal. The award was..Disney and Universal Studios
(I work for the best company in the world)
No I did not read the book, YES I watched all movies at least 10 times each.
After one year of anticipation, we finally made it! I was so excited walking into Universal Studios that I could barely enjoy any of the amazing rides we did to kill time before we headed into Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.
As we wandered through Universal Studios, I kept seeing signs for Diagon Alley. But did not see, Diagon Alley. The buildings started to look more Harry Potter-ish so I knew we were close.
After seeing the Knight Bus, I really started to feel like we were in the right spot.
After taking a couple of pictures in the general area, I had to find an employee to ask how to get to Diagon Alley, as there was no sign or point of entry. The employee informed me that I would have to ride a train to get to the park and left it at that. I felt confused and did not want to miss out on both parks. I luckily turned around and took the below picture.
I walked a couple of steps and saw this tunnel, and let me tell you. I am sure my face was a like a five year old on Christmas morning. I felt like I was discovering a new species. I had found it. Luckily. I love how it was so inconspicuous and you had to take this small tunnel to actually get into the park. You would not ever know it was there unless you walked through.
This was the sight I saw. Music from the movie playing, children running with wands, chattering and over all joy.
Of course I had to make my first stop to get my wand.
You have two options for wand choices. Interactive, or not.
I chose the interactive one for a whopping $55. Totally. Worth. It.
In front of all shops are coins on the ground, these help you to know you are in front of an interactive shops/area. Some shops make it rain, some make fire come out of the building, colors change, figures move. The ultimate experience for die hard Harry Potter fans/kids.
After trying out my wand, my next quest was for Butterbeer.
The drink itself is non alcoholic and tastes like cream soda with a creamy froth top. So good.
The money exchange is a must for the experience. There is a $20 minimum to trade regular US dollars for Wizard dollars. You can use the money at both parks and it is viewed just like cash.
The bathrooms are everything you would expect. I was very tempted to stand on top of the toilet and take a picture. I did feel like I was completely immersed in the world!
Diagon Alley park does host the ride, Escape from Gringotts. Lots of drops, losts of interaction. I was very impressed. The wait in the line was worth it as there is so much to see.
Leak Cauldron, everyone. The freaking, Leaky Cauldron. We did not eat here as we had a time spot saved for Three Broomsticks in the other park, Hogsmeade. You do not have to make reservations for either restaurant.
Right outside of Diagon Alley is the entrance to Kings Cross Station. The wait was two hours, but since we had a "fast pass", we were able to get on in about 30 minutes.
The train ride from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade lasts about 5 minutes and is interactive. The screen seen below plays the scene when the Dementors attack the train looking for Harry.
Yes, this is Hogsmeade. And I didn't think it could get any better!
I wish I would have taken more photos but was losing power at this point. I was able to pick up some Chocolate Frogs from the candy shop. Again, another wicked cool experience.
The castle hosts the second ride The Wizarding World of Harry Potter offers, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The caste is a maze that wraps around for what seems like miles once you are inside. Again, if we did not have our fast pass tickets, it would of been another two hour wait. The inside of the castle is extremely detailed and matches everything from the movie. The ride was also exciting, with small drops and interactions from the characters in the movie.
The park does close at 7pm (odd I know). As soon as we rode the final ride, we headed over to Three Broomsticks for dinner. The inside was just like the movie. I was skeptical at first of what the food would be like. It was DELICIOUS. I got the pot pie.
Our tickets cost around $260 for both parks. We did have to sit through a timeshare pitch that morning to get this good of a deal. You can find those deals anywhere on a google search.
No comments
Post a Comment