Trip Report - June 2015
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Hey everybody! Justin here, back from sunny Orlando to sunny (for now) Central Illinois. I had a blast on the trip, and thought I might type out my thoughts about it to, well, write something.
First off, a little background. Originally Kevin and I were planning on going to Austin, TX so he could go to a nursing conference and I could lounge around and explore, but since he got a new job we had to scrap that plan. After debating what to use our airline credit for, we happened upon a Flex Ticket deal through Seaworld. Figuring this was a fantastic deal (~$1000 for hotel and full admission to Sea World, Aquatica, Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure and Wet n Wild for 5 days!) we quickly booked the trip.
Protips
- The second full week of May is a FANTASTIC time to go to the parks. Walked on to most everything most of the time. The longest wait time I saw was 35 min. Beware later on in May, as graduating children and college aged children will swarm the parks.
- If you must change flight plans, do so without canceling your current flight, the (BS) fee seems to be slightly lower. (CURSE YOU UNITED!)
- Flex Tickets are a fantastic deal. They get you full access to the parks for 14 days after initial use, so if you're staying longer its an even better deal.
THE FREAKING WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!
Obvious question first - Is it worth it?
Second question - Why?
Okay, let's start off with the first park to be built -
Hogsmeade in Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.
Flight of the Hippogriff | Times ridden - 1
Dragon Challenge | Times ridden - 1 (red)
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| Not my photo :( |
By far the least themed ride in Hogsmeade, Dragon challenge to me is a reminder that "Oh yeah, this used to not be a Harry Potter area." The Goblet of Fire and Triwizard Cup make an appearance in the queue, so I guess the idea is that it's like the first trial of the Triwizard Tournament? Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to snap a photo of either of these things, as the wait was five (5!) minutes, so I just rushed through to the loading area. I also feel like I have to say that the line area is long (like seriously, it took me around 10 minutes just to walk it all), and most of it is an uninteresting underground cave-like environment. That said, it's a pretty solid hanging coaster, just not really a Harry Potter one.
The Forbidden Journey | Times ridden - 3
The crown jewel of Hogsmeade, and the ride that resides in the Hogwarts Castle pictured above, The Forbidden Journey makes up for the ill will Dragon Challenge brings and then some. The theming in the queue is fantastic, and has you going through a mini tour of Hogwarts. Here, have some pictures -
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| The entrance to Dumbledore's Office |
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| Dumbledore's Office. It's darkish so it's hard to get a good picture. You can vaguely make him out on the balcony. |
Side note: There are two sections with talking pictures - one of which with the four Hogwarts founders. Sadly, the rooms are incredibly dark and flash ruins the effect, so I couldn't get a good picture of them.
The story to the ride, such as it is, is that you are a group of muggles invited to tour Hogwarts and receive a lecture from Professor Binns, the allegedly boring Magical History Professor. Since Harry, Ron and Hermione have no regard for rules whatsoever at this point (it doesn't really fit in any given timeframe, though the rest of Hogsmeade seems to be in Goblet of Fire) they conspire to get you to the Quidditch game instead.
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| The Classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione appear on the Balcony. |
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| The Sorting Hat, who rattles off safety instructions near the loading area |
The ride is a hybrid of a dark ride and a simulation, and there's lots of props mixed in with projector screens. If you're looking for them you can spot the threads pretty easily, but it's hard not to get engrossed in the experience. You're on a mechanical arm throughout, so expect to go sidewise and upside down. Obviously, I enjoyed this ride. It's a lot of fun, even if the plot is incomprehensible and just exists to take you to different setpieces.
Protips
- The ride cars themselves are in groups of 4 and are pretty tiny, though both outside seats are adjusted for riders with, *ahem,* "certain body dimensions." Kevin and I fit in outside seats fine, but those who are very tall or have extremely broad shoulders beware.
- Single rider isn't particularly worth it for this ride - The queue is just too much fun to geek over, and you skip about 90% of it. Since the ride seats four at a time, you just end up waiting for odd numbers. Add to that the fact that regular line people obviously get priority (a fact seemingly lost on a very angry woman in front of me) going through the regular line is the obvious better choice.
The Hogwarts Express | Times Ridden - 6 (3 from Diagon to Hogsmeade, 3 from Hogsmeade to Diagon)
This guy gets his own section because it technically does not belong to either of the other areas. In fact, it is located distinctly outside of them, if adjacent to them. For those who don't know, The Hogwarts Express travels between the two areas, and you must have a ticket with admission to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure to ride it.
First off, the Universal side has much better theming than the Islands side. The queue to the Islands side is basically generic forest -> generic castle -> generic platform. The Universal side just knocks it out of the park (pun not intended).
I mean, look at that. They went into painstaking detail to make it look as much like a British train station as possible.
There are even ads for products and London tourism. While I sadly don't have a non-blurry picture, there is a snack shop selling British snacks inside. That's dedication.
It's kind of hard to see, but if you look at the photo on the bottom you can see the illusion of people disappearing into platform 9¾.
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| Hedwig is not amused |
So yeah, as you probably surmised, the reason I rode the train that many times was just because it's a relatively convenient way to travel between the parks (otherwise you have to exit out the front and walk around the lake). Somewhat surprisingly, there is an actual "ride" aspect to the train as well. While the train is moving, a short film plays out the "window," and Harry, Ron, and a bad Hermione impersonator occasionally pass by. The events are fixed, but are different for each way. From Diagon to Hogsmeade you see into Hagrid and the Enchanted Car, and have a dementor attack. From Hogsmeade to Diagon you see the Centaurs, Fred & George, the Knight Bus, and Moody (Curiously, since Diagon Alley seems to be set in Deathly Hallows timeframe). I vastly preferred the trip to Diagon.
Protips
- DO NOT attempt to ride the train from a closing park within an hour of closing time. Universal Studios generally stays open longer than Islands of Adventure, so you may get the bright idea to take the train instead of leaving the normal way. Problem is, everybody else has that idea. While the train can transport a ridiculous amount of people at the same time (probably around 150 at my estimate) it still took a long time, even though the crowds were relatively thin.
Diagon Alley at Universal Studios
Diagon Alley at Universal Studios was completed in 2014 and holds one single attraction, but boy is it a doozy.
Escape from Gringotts | Times ridden - 5
LOOK AT THAT ENTRYWAY. My blurry camera can't do it justice. I assure you it is 1000x more pretty in person. There are also a bunch of other things in the line, like moving newspaper clippings, a meeting with Bill Weasley (the red headed step child of a red headed family), a goblin giving safety instructions, and an elevator ala Haunted Mansion, but I didn't get any pictures of these. Cut me some slack, it was my first day there, and I was so giddy I could hardly contain myself.
Anyway, Escape from Gringotts is one hell of a ride. It's a roller coaster combined with a 3D simulation ride. They load 24 people per group in two large 4x3 carts. The 3D "Safety Goggles" are surprisingly comfortable, even over regular glasses. Perhaps what is most unexpected about this ride is that it is apparently canon - you are prospective customers that just happen to be touring the bank while Harry, Ron and Hermione are breaking in. The ride ends just like the book/film, with the trio making their escape from Gringotts on dragonback, though there is some new interaction with Voldemort and Bellatrix.
Protips
- The seats are significantly bigger than those of The Forbidden Journey, but I think the back row of each of the carts is modified for taller people.
- I encourage you to go through the main line at least once to see everything, but the Single Rider line is definitely worth it here. Because of the way the queue is designed (meeting with Bill/Elevator), there are periods when nobody from the regular line is in the loading area. During these times, they load from the Single Rider line instead, so even if you're in a group there's a good chance you'll end up together anyway. Problem is, other people will eventually figure this out too, so even the single rider line can get kind of long.
Food/Drink
- Hot - I'm sure it's delicious, but it was in the high eighties to mid nineties during our trip, so I couldn't even justify it FOR SCIENCE. Sorry.
- Frozen - Kevin's favorite. There is a large amount of foam on top that tastes very strongly of butterscotch, and the rest is a carmely tasting slushie.
- Regular/Cold - My favorite. You still get the butterscotch foam, but you get a butterschotchy carbonated drink under it as well!
There is no soda at all served in the Wizarding World because Universal's contract with Coca-Cola doesn't extend to there Wizards don't drink soda. This is an Otter's Fizzy, which is a weird combination of carbonated orange and cinnamon. Not terrible, but definitely wouldn't be my first choice.
We ate at the Leaky Cauldron, and I forgot to take a picture of my Specialty Chicken Sandwich which was basically a spicy grilled barbecue which was delicious. Kevin had the Fish and Chips, which he said was okay. A British guy walked out saying it was the worst food he'd ever had, but that may have just been a side effect of being British. Florians in Diagon Alley has the best ice cream as well.
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| The Hog's Head in Hogsmeade |
Events
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| Singers in Diagon Alley |
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| Puppeteers in Diagon Alley |
There's also an acapella (with frogs) group that pops up in Hogsmeade. I didn't listen to them for long, but they seemed pretty good.
Shops
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| The interior of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes |
There's a lot to see, and a lot to buy in the shops in the Wizarding World, perhaps most notably at Ollivanders, where they have a huge selection of different wands from primary characters (Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, etc.), minor characters (most professors, Luna, etc.) to even relatively bit part characters (Cho Chang?) along with originals.
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| I got Hermione because I'm a nerd |
The Map is the interesting part. See, if you buy a special brand of wand only sold in the parks, you can use them to do "magic" ie - there's a sensor in them that, when waved in a certain way near certain parts of the park, will make something happen. The map shows where this is possible. It's really quite cool, and it's fun to watch people attempt to successfully cast a spell.
Zonko's, Honeydukes, and Weasley Wizard Wheezes sell Candy and practical joke products.
I bought a chocolate frog, because I love chocolate and am indifferent about frogs.
Which is Better?
So what would I say if someone has a gun to my head and asks me to choose which park to go to if only one is an option? First, I would tell them to question their life choices. Then, I would recommend Diagon Alley immediately.
Not only is Escape from Gringotts superior to any of Hogsmeade's offerings, but there is something else Diagon Alley is better at by a longshot - immersion.
Above are shots of the "front" of Diagon Alley. There is actually a facade of buildings and you have to make your way through a small passageway to get there. It actually feels like your stumbling into a hidden world. The presence of Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge hurt Hogsmeade a lot when it comes to this, as the sight of coaster tracks immediately make you go "Oh, I'm in a theme park." Diagon Alley has none of this, and is in fact completely enclosed. You can't even see any other part of Universal Studios from within, so you can get completely immersed in the Harry Potter Experience.
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| Me sad to leave Diagon Alley for the last time ;_; |
Wow, that ended up really long... Well, I'm gonna call it here for now. I might talk about our hotel, Seaworld and the rest of the Universal Parks in the future, but for now I'll say this - If you have the means to travel to Universal Studios and are a Harry Potter fan, do so as soon as possible. It's an experience not to be missed. Of course, you could just plan a trip with me when I go whenever the Nintendo stuff opens too :p
So long until next time internet!
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