The approach to Hogsmeade and Hogarts castle, through ‘The Lost Continent’ and Seuss Landing in Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, is absolutely stunning. For a man-made edifice depicting a fictional place known only in books and on film, the first sight of the imposing castle will be, for some, akin to the sight of your bride in her wedding gown – impossible beauty, a headwind of promise, and a smidge of fear that once you seal the deal, the magic will begin to fade, even if just a little bit.
The snow-capped village of Hogsmeade that leads you to Hogwarts, which is situated high above Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, is bound to ignite gasps of wonderment, even in those ancillarily (made up word) involved in the Harry Potter phenomenon. Hardcore, longtime fans of J.K. Rowling’s magical creation may be reduced to tears. Normally, I’d poke fun at such signs of emotion, but damnit if I didn’t get a little misty-eyed myself.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter doesn’t lack charm or authenticity, but it is short on activities. Save for the 3 coasters, there isn’t a whole hell of a lot to do. Olivanders Wand Shop, the queue for which can stretch for over an hour (we waited about 20 minutes, most of which was directly in the smokin’ hot sun), offers a 5-10 minute experience mimicking that of Harry choosing a wand – or, actually, the wand selecting him – from the 1st film. It’s a bit campy, but for the lucky individual picked to play the ‘Harry’ role by the wandkeeper, it’s likely something they will never forget. The “show” leads you into the Owl Post where wands, gowns, trinkets, and t-shirts can be purchased (some of which are different than what’s being sold inside the cramped Hogwarts gift shop – so if you don’t like what you see there, head down to the Owl Post). Not interested in waiting for a wand, no problem. Visit the wand stand just outside Hogwarts. This outdoor emporium stocks only the character’s wands – Harry, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black, Lord Voldemort, etc. (Olivanders has many more, including some specific to your birth month), but doesn’t have the long queue.
The Hogsmeade Toy and Candy shoppes disappointed as they were completely devoid of magic, real or imagined; we hit these 2 stores at the very end of a long day, and were terribly exhausted, so that may be influencing my perspective slightly. But even if we bought some chocolate frogs, they’d have been reduced to pure liquid by the time we got back to the parking lot located miles away. There’s no magic keeping those things solid in the 95 degree temps that come standard in central Florida.
The Three Broomsticks restaurant, however, is outstanding. The food – fish-n-chips, rotisserie chicken, grilled corn on the cob and a couple of huge, fantastic salads – is all reasonably priced for a theme park. Kiddie options range from mac-n-cheese (w/ grapes and applesauce) to fried fish, and all come in under $5. The Butterbeer, a drink enjoyed by the kids at Hogwarts, is SO very good. Available in a soda consistency or as a frozen slushy, the beverage has a cream soda flavor with a butterscotch froth on top. The slushy version is addictive and worth every penny, considering the beverage is available nowhere else in the world. We paid $10.99 for Butterbeer in a collectible hard plastic mug – we did this twice actually.
A couple tips for visiting Orlando, Universal, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
- You’ll likely enter Harry Potter World through the Lost Continent but there is another way to get into Hogsmeade. Be sure to exit/enter towards the Jurrasic Park exhibit, over a bridge, for a gorgeous view of Hogwarts above pine trees and a stream. Some wonderful photo ops there with not a soul in front of you. It’s also a neat place to see the flora transition from the snowy HP world to the tropical land of dinosaurs. Cool stuff.
- Arrive at Universal before the gates open, but let the heavy crowds rush in to see Harry, Hermione and Ron. You do something else 1st and you’ll likely have that particular place all to yourself. We rode 6 Seuss Landing rides, including the VERY well air conditioned Cat in the Hat indoor ‘coaster’, all by ourselves. I remarked on the OWTK Facebook page and Twitter feed that it was heavenly and felt like we were the Griswolds in Wally World – all alone, but without having to hold anyone at gunpoint. Then, after the hardcore Potter-heads have had their fun, head on over and enjoy shorter waits (we had 20min for The Forbidden Journey and no wait at all for the Flight of the Hippogriff!)
- If riding the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster with little ones and you yourself have a bit of a gut, hold on tightly to your kiddo. The lap bar is shared and stops at it’s 1st obstacle, which in my case was my too-big stomach. This meant the Mouse, who was barely tall enough to ride, was, for all intents and purposes, not securely fastened. It felt as if she would have been thrown from the ride, smack into the side of Hogwarts stone wall if I didn’t quickly realize this and wrap my arm around her so tightly as to nearly crack her ribs. Scary stuff.
- **A special review of The Forbidden Journey ride, straight from the Mrs (who rode this one alone)** The ride, which is encapsulated entirely inside the Hogwarts castle darkness, was very cool because you really did feel as if you were flying. The problem I had was a serious motion sickness one, thanks in part to the unknown. When I cannot tell which direction I’m about to head, bad things happen inside me. When I stepped out of the virtual reality ride, I couldn’t comfortabley locate the ground beneath my feet. So, if you get disoriented easily, you’d best skip The Forbidden Journey.
- Remember where you parked! Colors and characters help, but by the end of the day, you might be fried and struggle to remember if you are on King Kong 2 or E.T. 3. Make a note of your car’s location in your smartphone, or put pen to paper and stick that note in your wallet.
- I thought it’d be a struggle to find non-chain dining options in Orlando, but I found two great ones right next to each other. Agave Azul is an authentic Mexican restaurant with a hip, urban vibe. A 6-piece mariachi band comes to each table working for tips. The food, including the freshly made guacamole, was awesome. Just next door is a cool, casual independent pizza shop with several central-FLA locations, called Flippers (tasty pesto flatbread and chef salad).
As exciting as it was to stroll the streets of Hogsmeade and to walk through Hogwarts, we never buy the $82 1-day tickets (slightly cheaper for kids) if not for Seuss Landing. The girls, ages 6 and 3, loved every aspect of the Dr. Seuss inspired playworld at the front of the Islands of Adventure theme park, and because 97% of all early arrivals headed straight to Harry Potter, we had the entire Seuss Landing to ourselves. They rode the zippy Cat in the Hat ride 3 times – twice consecutively – and the Trolley, Caro-Seuss-al carrousel, and One Fish Two Fish all twice, and all alone. For me, who was more than a little worried about massive crowds, it was a dream come true.
If you and your kids are going to Universal Studios Island of Adventure for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (or for anything else), bring sunscreen ’cause there is very little shade in the park, and pack your patience – to be used with your own too-tired kids and your fellow Potter fans walking too slowly with their heads on a swivel and their minds warped by wonderment and sunshine. Also, bring a pack of Wet Ones Wipes to keep the germs at bay. The folks at Wet Ones sent me a container before our depature and man did they come in handy. I’m not so much a germaphobe as I am someone who loves the feeling of clean hands – both mine and my kids when I’m holding theirs. I don’t go anywhere without sanitizer or Wet Ones Wipes. With thousands of snotty-nosed kids wandering around Seuss Landing and Hogsmeade, you should probably pick up a sleeve or two of Wet Ones wipes. The wipes are great, and better than liquid sanitizer because 1) you can take ’em on the plane without incident and 2) you can use them to not only clean hands, but also seats and tables in the Three Broomsticks or the Circus McGurkus Cafe (decent pizza in there).
Have you already been to see Harry and Hermione? Share your experience in a comment below!
Check out some of my photos from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
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