Check out a newer (2020) updated version of this post on my new blog: Nerdy Guides: The Ultimate Guide To Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
By now you know that I am a complete and utter Potter nerd. I love the books, I love the movies and I even love the audiobooks! After going to Wizarding World of Harry Potter (in Orlando) 2 consecutive years I felt like I had a ton of information to share. Hold on to your hats because it’s about to get real geeky in here. I must not tell lies – Wizarding World is freakin’ amazing!
Aside from the practical tips, such as, wear comfortable shoes (because if your feet hurt, I would most definitely suspect the nargyles) I wanted to share some of the other tips I’ve gathered to help prepare you for the awesomeness that is Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
1.Don’t miss the opportunity to send purchases to the park entrance or to your room if you are staying on property. Unless you take a page from Hermione’s book and use an Undetectable Extension Charm on your bag, you won’t want to be carrying all of your purchases around all day. Trust me, you will want to buy all the things.
2.Don’t miss out on Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream. After all, while Harry was practically living in Diagon Alley before his 3rdyear, Fortescue sent him a sundae every half hour while he studied. You can get in on that too! Our favorite flavor was Butterbeer, but they also offer Earl Grey & Lavender and Sticky Toffee Pudding, yum!
3.Don’t miss out on the performances. Catch at least 1 show during your visit to Wizarding World. You can choose from the Frog Choir, Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, the Triwizard Rally and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. We suggest The Tales of Beedle the Bard, while it’s very kid oriented it’s still pretty cool.
4.Don’t miss out on the specialty drinks at the Hog’s Head. Firewiskey, anyone? Hog’s Head Brew is also made exclusively at Universal.
5.Don’t miss out of the props because you don’t want to ride the rides. If you are looking for Ford Anglia, you will find it in the line for the Dragon Challenge. We opted out of this coaster because your legs hang, and a prosthetic can be a little inconvenient on those kinds of rides. If you are looking for Hagrid’s Hut or Buckbeak head to Flight of the Hippogriff. This is a very kid oriented ride so you may just want to walk through the line and then opt out when you get to the actual ride.
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7.Don’t miss out on Hogsmeade at night. We went to Hogsmeade one night around 7 pm and the attractions really clear out around this time. It was awesome to have the village almost entirely to ourselves. It gives Hogsmeade a more magical feel to see everything all lit up too! Universal’s Islands of Adventure closes at 8 pm but the employees tend to let you linger until around 9ish. Don’t take advantage though!
8.Don’t head to Wizarding World right away in the morning. I know most blog posts and/or people will tell you to head straight to Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade in the morning. Guess what? That’s what everyone else does too. Even with early entry, all of Wizarding World is a madhouse in the morning.
An example – One morning we decided to try Wizarding World with early entry. Huge mistake and not at all worth the 5:30 am wake up. Ya know why? Everyone else staying on
9.Don’t miss out on taking the Hogwarts Express between parks. Remember that Wizarding World of Harry Potter is actually in 2 different parks. Diagon Alley is part of Universal Studios while Hogsmeade is part of the Universal’s Islands of Adventure. You will need park to park passes to enjoy both. One of the perks of those park to park passes is that you can ride the Hogwarts Express between parks. It is the easiest and BEST way to go between the parks.
¾.Don’t hold up the line for the disappearing mirror – or do! That’s totally up to you! The disappearing mirror that makes it appear as if you are disappearing on to Platform 9 ¾ is at a very awkward location. If there is no line at all then you are in the clear. However, if there is a little bit of a line and people are practically running to make the next train this area can be a bit problematic. If this happens and you are trying to get a picture (take a video it will turn out better, I promise) chances are that you will end up holding up the line. But don’t let the muggles get you down and take that pic/video anyway!
It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) so turn that Wizarding World dreams into a reality!
Please note, this is not a sponsored post. I was not compensated in any way for this content. I just love Universal/Wizarding World!!
