Wonders of the Wizarding World

What a joy it was to be part of the Harry Potter phenomenon back in 1997-2007 when the books were being written and released for the first time. It was so exciting to anticipate each book, to speculate about what would happen next, to pick apart characters’ motivations and guess at their secrets, to be part of midnight release parties and all-day read-a-thons.

I got Daniel interested in the story when he was young, and the HP books were featured in our Frog and Owl Book Club (until he grew out of such silly things; after that, we just read the books). We’d go to the midnight book release party and play Uno while we were waiting in line. (We weren’t quite into it enough to dress up, although we loved seeing the other fans play all the parts.) It was great to crack open the brand new book with its just-printed smell and read a few chapters before heading to bed.

All that is to say that I’ve wanted to get to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Daniel since we first found out it was being built. I always thought to bundle it with one of my trips to Florida for a conference, but the timing was never right. Finally, this was our year! And it was as magical as I thought it would be.

The Wizarding World

Our first hint that we were in the neighborhood of the Wizarding World was the appearance of the Knight Bus, the clue that you are near Diagon Alley (which is hidden, of course). After missing the entrance the first time, we finally entered that hallowed space.

Do you remember that scene from the movie? Where Harry enters Diagon Alley for the first time? Yeah – it felt just like that. The brick streets. The remembered storefronts. The magical artifacts in the windows. This muggle was enchanted. We enjoyed perusing the stores, taking in the decor, and reminiscing about storylines and scenes.

I accompanied Daniel through Gringotts Wizarding Bank (under the disapproving noses of the goblins) so he could get on the Escape ride, but it went offline for some reason (thankfully, before he got on). We took in a performance of the Tale of the Three Brothers (the genesis of the Deathly Hallows) from the Tales of Beedle the Bard – just like in the movie except with puppets. And we were menaced by the dragon breathing fire from atop Gringotts, which made us feel quite initiated.

No visit to The Wizarding World would be complete without a trip on the Hogwarts Express. Like every wizard-in-training, we started at London’s Track 9 ¾. And just a few minutes later, we arrived in Hogsmeade. It was much more crowded there – later in the day, plus it’s the location of the popular Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure ride (which Daniel thought wasn’t worth a two-hour wait, thank goodness).

Up the hill and around the bend sat Hogwarts Castle. The Hogwarts Castle. Site of witch and wizard schooling, and of dangerous adventures to defeat Voldomort and his minions, and of bonding conversations among our heroes. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Seeing it for the first time was amazing!

Daniel took the Forbidden Journey ride in the heart of the castle, so we got to see a bit of the inside as well (sadly, not well-decorated). We took in a break at Hog’s Head, of course, and enjoyed a cider (me) and an “iced tea” (Daniel) on the quiet back porch. Just taking in the ambiance. The Christmas light show on the walls of Hogwarts after dark was fully worth braving the crowds. In fact, we managed to get close-to-front-row viewing.

We went back to both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley on Saturday, ticking off a few more boxes and gawking at the architecture and detail. I’m glad that Daniel had an earlier visit to the park where he got to do many of the rides (which I won’t take)– so he wasn’t too disappointed when the wait was too long or the ride was inoperable on this trip.

On our second day, some of the magic was lost to the size of the crowd (almost Times-Square-on-New-Year’s-Eve-like) – I’m happy we got in to see everything on Friday. We took the Hogwarts Express in the opposite direction to complete our adventure. (Where we waited in such a long line that I got notes for this post drafted on my phone while we wended our way along.)

I took a moment for a last look at Diagon Alley to reach for that sense of magic and wonder. From the pages of the books to the big screen to brick and mortar. You don’t need a roller coaster track to have had a marvelous ride in The Wizarding World. As a proud book geek, I’ll always love the books first and foremost, but it surely was a treat to see a small portion of that amazing imaginary world come to life.

 

The rest of the adventure

There is more on offer at Universal Resort, of course. We absolutely LOVED Seuss Landing– so quirky and colorful!! I surely felt like a kid again (quite a trick at 64!). We rode the Caro-Seuss-el on Friday and took the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride on Saturday. Their “imagineers” posed a number of Sneetches scenes on the rooftops so we would see them as we rode along, but we weren’t supposed to take pictures (for fear of dropping cameras, I suspect). We were soooo tempted to buy Grinch paraphernalia – they had an entire store of it. The entire Suess Landing area was a delight for the senses – characters from your favorite books more than life-sized.

Elsewhere on the property, there’s a small “replica” of Central Park in the Universal Studios section which served as a resting place for us on Friday. (Full disclosure: we nearly napped on a park bench there.) On Saturday, we walked through Islands of Adventure, but mostly to take in sights, not to do rides. By then, we were both pretty worn out!

And City Walk, the entrance to all the parks, was our stopping place for three lovely dinners. Our favorite was the NBC Sports Grill and Brew where we ate yummy wings and chatted with a delightful server who had a terrific outlook on life.

Our small suite of rooms at the Endless Summer Surfside Resort was just right – and a comfy place to collapse at the end of the day. We had a great spot on the first floor with views overlooking the pond. We got even more steps in getting to our room, though – it was located at the end of 3 long hallways. But the sunrise from my bedroom window was a beautiful bonus!

Bucket list item checked

I’ll tell you a secret: neither Daniel or I are much for theme parks. They have their attractions, to be sure, but they also tend to draw intimidating crowds, generate long lines for everything, and result in tired feet and sunburn. Nonetheless, happily, we are thrilled to check The Wizarding World of Harry Potter off our bucket list as quite an enjoyable adventure – an immersive experience that brought back many fond memories.

I am very happy to claim my jacket as a Hogwarts alum!