When the first Harry Potter book was printed, I instantly picked it up thinking I would buy it for my granddaughter to read to her when she was older. Little did I know that I would be drawn into the wizarding world of Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley.
When we saw the first movie in the series, I was blown away with how Universal had taken the book and actually brought it to life just as J.K. Rowling had done in my mind. It was just as I had pictured it, down to Hagrid's cabin and Diagon Alley.
In June, we were fortunate to be able to visit
Universal Studios in Orlando while we were attending the Vacation.com annual Conference. One week earlier, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had just opened to record crowds. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade have been replicated down to Honeyduke's, Ollivander's, the Owl Post, the Three Broomsticks, the Hogwart Express at Track 9 3/4, and of course, Hogwart's at the end of the street. Again, I never dreamed it could be done, but Universal has made the books and movies come to life.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has had to be crowd controlled, and there are certain times during the day when this section of the park is actually closed to additional visitors. On the day we were there, the line into Honeydukes' was a 45-minute wait. The Owl Post had another 45-minute wait.
You can ride the Dragon Challenge, an incredible high-thrills rollercoaster with lots of inversions. The Flight of the Hippogriff is a family ride that passes Hagrid's Hut and encounters a Hippogriff while aboard the coaster.
The ride that takes you through Hogwarts is called the Forbidden Journey. This signature attraction uses advanced robotics to send guests on a wild journey alongside Harry, Hermione, and Ron where they experience many scenes from the films. We were told that it is the most advanced, stunning park ride anywhere. On the day we were there, the wait was 90-minutes.
Hogwarts Castle, is located at the end of the village and is everything a muggle could hope for. Walking through the halls of Hogwarts on your way to the Fobidden Journey ride, you'll see all sorts of wizardry, including portraits that, astonishingly, start talking and moving and snow that begins falling from the ceiling. Even without the ride, the tour through Hogwarts is an incredible standalone attraction.
Hogwarts Castle and the Forbidden journey ride have been designed to handle enormous crowds. But the shops are all built to scale--to serve the story, no doubt--and the tight quarters can't comfortably accommodate the hordes of muggles who visit on busy days.
The Three Broomsticks tavern offers Harry Potter-specific foode such as Cornish Pasties (pastry puffs filled with minced beef and vegetables) and strawberry and peanut butter ice cream. Pub grub, such as fish and chips, is also available. The Hog's Head bar features butterbeer (frozen and non-frozen), which has traces of shortbread and butterscotch and is addictive, pumpkin juice, and "real" alcoholic beverages. There are also Butterbeer stands all around Hogsmeade.
Ollivanders wand shop has a brief show in which "the wand chooses the wizard" (a lucky kiddo plucked from the crowd). The shop accommodates only about 25 guests at a time, and the line to get in can be huge. There were almost 700 people in line the day we were there. Wands are for sale next door in an adjacent store and at a small kiosk next to Hogwarts.
Other stores include Zonko's (a joke shop made famous by the Weasley twins) with oddities like Extendable Ears; Dervish and Banges, which sells Quidditch gear; and Honeydukes, a sweets shop with chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans (including--ew!--fish and cheese flavors).
Our suggestion: Wait until next year or at least in the off-season to go to this incredible reproduction of Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley. Stay on property at Universal and you can enter early and stay late without other guests. This should definitely be on every muggle's vacation bucket list.
