I’ve learned a lot about Universal Studios in Orlando this week. I’ve always been more of a Disney guy – want to talk Disneyworld? I’ve been twice when I was young, know the parks, know the hotels – at least up until Covid. I don’t go, never had kids to go with really, but I at least did the research and know enough to get my way around. Universal? That’s where people go when Disney World is busy or they want a more-adult version of things – but when it comes to Harry Potter… you have to go where the magic is – and that means going to Universal for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
And, of course, there are three parks that make up Universal (four if you count the water park) – and there are three Harry Potter parts – Diagon Alley (Universal Studios), Hogsmeade (Universal Islands of Adventure), and The Ministry of Magic (Epic Universe). Luckily when we booked this vacation… my travel agent asked two very important questions: First – did I want a park hopper pass (she suggested it) for all three parks, and Second – Did I want the Express Pass. I said yes to both, and it saved us an immeasurable amount of time between the two.
We started off by going to Universal Studios, the original park. We went through security and turned right along City Walk (a walkway full of shops and restaurants that connects Universal Studios to Universal Islands of Adventure) to get to the park. We gave our tickets and got photos taken that identified us throughout the park thereafter without the paper tickets (creepy, apparently accepted here), and then we were on our way.
We started in the generic studios area, saw the Mystery Machine and Scooby and the gang. We walked through the Simpsons area – saw Moe’s Tavern and stepped inside briefly, then meandered along by the Men in Black section on our way to the Wizarding World.
It’s funny to have just been in London. We looked across the pedestrian bridge and got a face-full of London, or so it seemed – a building dropped right out of England and into Universal! That would be come a theme as we went through our day – “Hey that looks just like the real one in London”
Grimmauld Place, home of the Order of the Phoenix, as if dropped onto the sidewalk right out of London
Even the street signs look right – which I mean they should – but we’ve just been in London, and can confirm that’s exactly what they look like. It was a pretty fun thing to be able to say! That feeling just got stronger as we looked at the rest of the park – so many things were similar, if not identical, which is part of what makes it so cool. The Universal experience isn’t just a set piece, it’s interactive, immersive – with people in character and areas where you can interact (and waive your wands to trigger events). That’s why Diagon alley was next, especially for the kids, so that they would do the requisite wand-waiving!
True to form, you have to walk through bricks to get into Diagon Alley – though you don’t have to tap any in any order to see the wall pull back
The view that greets you as you look into Diagon Alley
And it just keeps going, and going….
This guy lets off some steam every once in a while by attempting to further-bake crowds with a blast of fire… and you feel it!
We spent hours in Diagon Alley – between stores for Quidditch supplies (mostly sweatshirts, uniforms, etc.,), candy shops, wand shops (I barely went into Ollivander’s – it was so crowded you could barely move and that’s not my scene!), and all the wand-waiving interactive areas we meandered up and down, in and around the shops. I bought two bottles of liquid luck at the candy shop – they look set-realistic, but unfortunately taste just like sugar water. Oh well! It’s still fun! I’ll show them off in the wrap-up blog post as well if they make it home. There are shops for wizard robes, hats, ice cream, and of course – the joke shops from the books – Zonko’s as well as the Weasleys! It’s fun to see them all, though I wish some of them had been bigger! They do feel small, and not just because of the throngs of people, they’re not quite movie-accurate in my opinion, probably to fit more in.
After the shops, and countless wand-waiving stations (I mean it’s cool, but it gets old – especially if ever person in the party wants to do every station – which of course kids will want to do – and should do. Sometimes is great being an uncle – when you can just go find a bench somewhere!) we went looking for lunch – and truly… where else are you going to go but the Leaky Cauldron?!?
We had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron – Butterbeer included
Lunch for me was “bangers and mash” – we made jokes about being able to tell just how authentic things would be!
After lunch, we were back at it. What’s a trip to a theme park without a themed ride or two? That’s how we ended up in line for the “Escape from Gringotts” ride. Now – I’m not exactly theme park ride shaped these days (too tall, too fat), but I’m always willing to go see the rides and encourage others – and according to the guy outside the ride there was a “waiting area” we’d be shown to if we walked through the ride on the way to the cars. Well, that wasn’t exactly true but… I am glad we walked it anyway – they did let us out again and it wasn’t a big deal going around the ride to exit out the same exit riders take. Plus… look what we saw.
Wait a minute… weren’t we just here? In London? Universal did a GREAT job with this – and the goblins are amazing – they are animatronics, look around as they work, mutter, and talk. You walk through the bank, and down, down…. there are some stairs, and elevator, some more stairs, and some more stairs, but eventually you are shown to your mine cart… and strapped in. I won’t spoil any of it for you, it’s worth doing… even if you don’t ride the ride.
Oh, but if you do want to ride it… be aware – it really is a roller coaster – and a rough one – not on backs or bones just… all the things – speed, drops, rotations, simulated motion, the whole deal. It can be a bit overwhelming… especially for young children. They might be tall enough to ride… but maybe think twice anyway or be very sure about what you’re getting them into!
Back out in Diagon alley there were a few more wand spots, and then we discovered the path to Knockturn Alley (the bad cousin of Diagon Alley from the books – where all the creepy shops are!). There are even more wand spots there, but it’s dark and crowded and hard to see – so I did the uncle thing again and just went and found a bench and waited. It was fun – don’t get me wrong, but it’s a lot. Be prepared for a lot of wand waiving.
Once those were all checked off the list… we were feeling it – the long day, over a week of walking five or seven miles, I’ll admit I was wearing out. With only two days total here at Universal we had to get to Hogsmeade, and then the next day would be Epic Universe – but we wouldn’t be back here. We trudged to King’s Cross, got in line for the Hogwarts Express, and took a ride between the parks.
The train trip is a fun one, it’s immersive and things happen all around your cabin, including voices from familiar characters and events from various movies. It’s worth it if you have the 3-Park Pass (or whatever it’s called)! My nephew seemed to enjoy it, but was skeptical all those things that happened outside the window (like the flying car, the rain, Hagrid) really happened. We assured him it did, and headed out into Hogsmeade.
Hogsmeade is almost as big as Diagon Alley
Oh yeah, and there’s a Hogwarts model again! It’s stunning!
We stopped at more shops, we admired the views. I think my favorite parts were the Three Broomsticks (where more snacks, and more butterbeer, were consumed), as well as the fact that Hogwarts, as seen in this picture, uses force-perspective to seem bigger. Higher floors are built smaller, so they look further away and thus bigger than they actually are. This is extremely clever – but I noticed right away that while it works… the birds that land on Hogwarts are not affected by this effect, of course, and given their relative size look like they’re as big as cars when they land on the castle roof. To be that big while appearing so far away… they would have to be massive, massive birds! I found it amusing!
As my niece and her dad found various rides, I found another bench, and so did my sister. With long ride times for one of the rides in Hogsmeade that my niece wanted to ride (Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure), we left them to stand in line and went into the Three Broomsticks. By this point I was about out of energy for the day – so we sat and relaxed in the air conditioning (it was over 90 degrees here today) and enjoyed more butterbeer while they waited and eventually rode the ride – meantime we held down the fort at The Three Broomsticks like our lives depended on it.
The Three Broomsticks
Reunited with all of our party members… we decided to call it a day – and I decided I would take the next day to write this blog post, and skip the Ministry of Magic (which is about the same size as Hogsmeade) at Orlando Epic Universe. It was time for me to admit it – this constant pace has been a bit much for me this trip and I was feeling it. We headed out of the park, walking through a few other areas (including a Dr. Seuss area!) as we headed back to our rental car… and I capped off my part of the Harry Potter vacation my niece had asked me for.
I’ll include my sister’s family’s impression of the Ministry of Magic section of the park in my summary blog post in a week or so, for now this will be the last entry on this trip as long as our flight back goes normally. It’s United, so I hope it will (they’re my usual, problem-free airline but you just never know!). It’s been a great trip, a wild adventure of sorts… but all planned and orchestrated along the way as well. Overall I think it went great, though there are some things I would change. Look for all of that and more in my summary post.
