Before We Forget.....Harry Potter

I just realized I never posted pictures of our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Oops! So I wanted to write this before we forget all the details.

The reason for our whirlwind trip to Orlando after Christmas was to see Universal Studios latest addition - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It seemed like perfect timing to treat Aidan to this experience since he has been a little Harry Potter obsessed for the past few years. So this was a very important part of our trip.

After our long Monday of travel, we decided it would be worth it to get up very early and get to Universal - even though we were exhausted. So up we got and went straight for the park. Aidan was so excited about HP and wanted to go immediately there....then he saw the Hulk roller coaster and we got a little sidetracked (oops - shoulda waited to ride...). After our first roller coaster adventure, he was still antsy to get to HP so we headed straight there. Much to our disappointment, we got to the entrance only to find out that we had to wait forever in line or get a timed pass to enter later because it was too crowded. Boo! Luckily, we got a pass for 2:00 (only about 3 hours to kill in a theme park - easy enough right?) even though Aidan was willing to wait in the very long line to get in. So, in the meantime, we visited many other rides and ate lunch. When 2:00 rolled along,we walked right into HP and right into a MOB of people! It was so packed we could hardly move! Nevertheless, we were immediately enthralled with the incredible details that went into replicating Hogsmeade and the HP world. Forgive me for so many pictures (I've edited them down a lot!). If you've read Harry Potter books, you would love this place!

It looks just like it did in all the movies with the "snow" on the rooftops and the old English architecture. I loved looking at all the buildings especially the rooflines. We luckily found out that if you went inside The Three Broomsticks you could get butterbeer without waiting in the insanely long lines on the street.

Butterbeer! It tastes like a caramely cream soda...YUM. Aidan loved the slushy kind.

Of course the focal point of the whole area is Hogwarts Castle. We stupidly left the area without going in because the line was too long at that time. Unfortunately there was no getting back in for the day (all the passes were gone) and when we tried to get a pass for Wednesday - it was a 2 hour line just to get a pass! This resulted in us spending our last free day, Saturday, at Universal - which turned out to be a blessing because we didn't have to wait in any lines all day and we thoroughly enjoyed the best ride located in the castle - several times.

The Hogwarts Express was a colorful focal point right when you walked through this entrance. The sign reads "Please Respect Spell Limits."

The streets were pretty crowded and people were waiting in longer lines to get in the shops than to ride the rides. The shops really were the charm of the place so we waited in some lines. It took about 30 minutes to get into Zonkos Joke Shop and Honeydukes. The displays were fantastic but everyone was packed in there like sardines. Needless to say, we decided not to wait in the 2 hour line to have a wand "choose" you at Olivanders.

Honeydukes and Zonkos

Hmmm....Chocoloate Frog or Bertie Bots Every Flavored Beans. How about both - $20 later!

We sent postcards with the official Hogsmead stamp from the Owl Post.

The Sorting Hat talks to you while you wait in line for the castle ride.

I loved the "Monster Book of Monsters." Its just what you would imagine when you read about it. This shop also carried all the latest models of broomsticks including the Firebolt. We also threw away more money, (I mean made our dear son happy) by purchasing a "collectible" Golden Snitch - a must-have for any true Harry Potter fan!

Aidan got his want at a kiosk on the street and he has been very happy with it despite not going through the wand ceremony. Universal has created a magical place and it really is very well done. Once the hubub dies down a bit, you should definitely go!