Lauren vs. the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Yesterday, I finally had the chance to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure! I had tried once before, with my mom and aunt, during the soft opening (the park was letting the first 1,000 people in see the area in advance), but OF COURSE the one day we go was also the day the actors were there.

Annoying.

(No, I didn’t see any of the actors while there – sadly).

So, using our annual passes, mom and I decided to try again. The lines had been horrendous we were hearing, but it was a Tuesday and we figured, if nothing else, we’d be able to see the area.

And see it we did.

Trying to get in when the park first opened was ridiculous. You needed to wait in line just to get into the Harry Potter area – the line wasn’t even for any of the rides! The line went from the Wizarding World, all the way through Jurassic Park, and into the Toon Lagoon. For those who’ve never been, here’s a map.

See? Ridiculous.

So instead of waiting, we decided to go over to Universal Studios, since we hadn’t been to that park since the late 90s. Seriously.

We did a few of the rides, and they were fun enough. ET still haunts me – not because the ride is bad, it’s quite fun, even if it’s outdated and you can barely understand ET telling people to go home at the end (“Lauren” sounded like “Laaannn”) – but because when I was little, my parents nicknamed me ET. According to them, I looked like an alien.

Forever traumatized.

The highlight of Universal had to be Fievel's Playland. When we first moved to Florida, my parents got us annual passes. Fival’s area was the perfect spot for us to cool off – there were structures to climb, and an awesome waterslide to go down for kids. No one really went to it – most families opted for the bigger rides, but Justin and I loved this little area. Anyway, it’s still there, and since there weren’t any kids around, I got to go on the waterslide again. Perfect for 104 degrees.

We also saw the Terminated 3D show (my mom’s favorite – I think she at one time had a think for Arnold), which is incredibly outdated. One of the “new technologies” invented was talking to people THROUGH THE COMPUTER! If only we could do that today!

…

Also, the magic of the Terminator show is slightly dampened when you’re friends with Sarah Conner. Just saying. (Although, it is really cool saying I know not only Sarah Conner, but also Maryann from the Indiana Jones show – yeah, my friend Traci used to play them both before she went off and had a baby.)

Anyway, around 2:30 we made it back to the Wizarding World. It was still extremely crowded, but at least there was no line to get in. And let me say – it really was magical.

My favorite area of the Magic Kingdom is – go figure – Tom Sawyer’s Island. I love being able to explore the areas Huck and Tom frequent. It makes the book more…real, I guess.

I felt the same way with Wizarding World. As soon as you go in, the Hogwarts Express greets you. There’s no platform 9 _ (although I did see the real one back in London – so I guess you could say I DID transport into the magic world!), but a train conductor does stand outside greeting visitors. From there, the park is utterly amazing. The buildings – beautifully built – are all topped with snowy roofs. Everything looks as if it did in the books and movies. It was all real. I got teary eyed. Seriously.

There were lines to get into the shops, but I managed to make it into Honeydukes and Zonkos. My mom – having never read the books – found all of the names strange - “what’s a cauldron cake?” “Why are there so many flavored beans?” “What’s omnoculars?” – but I loved it. Everything is recreated, and quite perfectly. It’s every kid’s – what am I saying, adult’s – dream come true. I especially liked that all of the merchandise looks as if it would in the shops – none of them have Wizarding World or Universal logos.

The owlry was packed, and Olivander’s (where the wand picks you!) had a line almost outside the park, so we skipped those, but we DID wait in line for…butterbeer! Comparatively, it’s quite cheap, only $3.24 ($4.25 if you want it frozen) whereas pumpkin juice, which I didn’t try, is $5.99. Let me say, it’s quite delicious! Foamy as you’d expect, and kind of a mixture of root beer and butterscotch. Really sweet, but perfect when it’s, again, 104 degrees.

Both Hogs Head and the Three Broomsticks were also packed, so I didn’t go there, nor Flourish and Blotts. The castle, in the distance, was AMAZING – just as you’d imagine in. The line for the area’s premiere ride, the Forbidden Journey, was 75 minutes long, so I opted to not go – we can come again, of course, when it’s less crowded. The Flight of the Hufflepuff (the old unicorn kiddie coaster) had a 45 minute wait, so we decided against that as well. (I had also ridden it before, so no big deal on missing it).

Harry’s Dragon Challenge (which was Dueling Dragons – one of my favorite rides) only had a 20 minute wait (!!!), so of course we went. Rather than putting my stuff in the lockers (located inside the train station – really cute), my mom came with me on the line, and then chickened out at the last minute to hold my butterbeer. She hates rollercoasters. While the ride is the same (still awesome), the queue is great, because it’s full of references. Big signs cheer on the triwizard champions (with the exception of Cedric Diggory, which was weird), the car Harry and Ron crashed into the tree is on the side, as is Hagrid’s hut. Inside the cave, you’re greeted by the Goblet of Fire, which is pretty neat to see.

Before leaving, my mom and I watched a performance by the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. They must have been so hot in their outfits, but the performances were quite good.

As we exited the park, as cheesy as it sounds, everything got a bit less…special. The sun shined, sweat poured down my back, and the crowds were everywhere. All of that I ignored while in the Wizarding World – all of that didn’t matter. Outside, it all came back and the rest of my day was a bit less…magical.

I can’t wait to go back.