Visiting the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter

Deb's Digest Blog

AllEarsNet TV co-hosts Deb Wills and Linda Eckwerth journey to Universal Orlando to experience the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter. From Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley via the Hogsworth Express, they share their thoughts about the themeing and attractions of these amazing areas!

Have you been to the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter at Universal! Leave a comment below and share your experience so others can learn.

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9 Replies to “Visiting the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter”

  1. My wife and I are big Harry Potter fans (more the books than the films) and we stayed at Universal for the first 3 days of our trip the first week of February.

    We had experienced Hogsmeade on a previous trip, and we decided to do all of the other Universal/IOA stuff on the first two days so we could dedicate the entire third day to Diagon Alley, which we had not seen yet. It was not easy, let me tell you. My wife was buzzing every time we passed the London area, and she could not resist chatting with the Knight Bus driver.

    We made a bee-line to Diagon first thing on the third day, got breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron (first visitors that day!), got wands and goodies at Ollivanderss and Weasley’s, ice cream at Fortescue’s, rode the Hogwarts Express back and forth, rode both Escape from Gringotts and Forbidden Journey twice. We even ran into one of our west-coast friends outside King’s Cross!

    We closed the park without ever leaving the Wizarding World that day. It was one of the highlights of the trip, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of HP, or theme parks in general.

  2. So glad to hear about your trip to Universal! My family is also huge Disney fans, and this past year (being a Harry Potter fan) decided to try out Universal again. Had been there quite a few years ago & was a tad under-whelmed. Joked that when people got fired from Disney for not being friendly they received a Universal Studios application instead of a pink slip. However, we had a much different experience this time. It was AMAZING. Like you, found the team members to be wonderful. You HAVE to go back & ride the Forbidden Journey. We liked it even better than Escape from Gringotts. But what was interesting was that after spending a couple days at Universal, we then went to Disney for the rest of the week. And here we noticed a big change from previous years. Where Universal has stepped up its game, Disney seems to be lacking. Found quite a few cast members to be rude. Heard a few complaining. Overheard at Country Bear Jamboree “If I hear this song one more time, I think I’m going to vomit.” We were shocked. We had 5 people with “First Timer” pins. Not once were they acknowledged for the whole week. We had really talked up Disney to our visiting family, and all they said was “next time can we just go back to Universal?” Even though I still love by beloved Disney, I truly hope they get back to their former glory. Especially getting their cast members back on track!

  3. I went with family – children and grandchildren – in November. We rode Gringots 3 times in a row! Although my daughter, DIL and g’kids plus me are all HP fans, the others were having a good time. Grandson Ryan was selected to get the wand at Ollivanders, and it was an interactive one that “chose” him. He has so many wands that I purchased it so we all could have fun making magic around the area. The only serious wait we had was to get onto the Hogwarts Express (not to be missed)

    In Jan (last week) we go on an “adult” Disney trip with good friends where we relax, drink wine and eat good food at WDW. Jill and I went to Universal without DHs for our own Potter experience. Diagon Alley was mobbed and we had one fairly long wait for Gringots but enjoyed the “touches” along the way. We played with the wand and then went to Ollivanders to watch the show. I was picked to get the wand!!! (OK I am 70 but still a child at heart) The shopkeeper said the “magic” was strong in me. My wand is beautiful so I traded Jill the old wand for a Griffindor sweatshirt. No wait for the train this time, but when we got into the single rider line at Gringots (60 min wait) we waited 45 mins before we abandoned the idea because we had made little headway. We only enjoyed Wizarding World because of the crowds at Universal were large (Magic Kingdom too) I think this time of year is when the South American teenagers get their “summer” break and they all descend on Orlando!

  4. My daughter Rachel and I were just there in December. I can’t believe your readers didn’t mention the wand that does spells! Wand is just under $50, so we only bought one and shared. There are 9 places in Hogsmeade and 20 places in Diagon Alley to perform spells, young and old alike lined up. It was amazing and well worth the money!

  5. Deb and Linda, I am soooooo happy that you got an annual pass to Universal so you will be covering their Mardi Gras and Christmas celebrations, which are absolutely wonderful! There is sooooooo much more to Orlando than Disney. Universal and Sea World both have GREAT festivals throughout the year, and I hope you will now cover them instead of being inclusive to Disney. There are things like Kennedy Space Center and Eco-tours that you may consider. Thanks for expanding past Disney.

  6. We went to Universal during our Disney trip this past December. And you both are absolutely right. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had to be the most immersive experience we had ever been to. Our 17-year-old is a Harry Potter fan. But she is on the reserved side and doesn’t often express emotion. You should have seen that kid! Her jaw dropped to the ground when we entered Diagon Alley for the first time. She was awestruck for the two days we were there. Universal’s attention to detail was amazing. And we were just as impressed with their team members who were not only friendly and helpful but stayed in character, too! I don’t know how many times we were called muggles while we were there! It made even shopping in the shops a whole lot of fun. One team member didn’t quite want to take the “muggle plastic” my husband used to pay. Ha!

    I would definitely recommend, like Deb & Linda did, getting a park-to-park pass to experience the Hogwart’s Express. We loved that. And it allows you to stay immersed in the Harry Potter world. We also found that the Gringott’s Bank ride got the most crowded out of all the other rides. Our second morning there, it already had a 60 minute wait at 9:20. So we now know to run for that one first! But each ride has a queueing area with so many details, that it would be a shame to run through it. They are as much fun to see as the actual rides themselves.

    Also, I AGREE with what’s already been said. Eat at either the Leaky Cauldron or the Three Broomsticks! It’s part of the Harry Potter experience that’s well worth doing. We ate at the Leaky Cauldron. It was crowded, but like Deb & Linda said, the team members were so organized that it wasn’t uncomfortable. (We actually had more problems at Disney this time with eating than we did at Universal! Maybe Disney needs to copy Universal on this one!) Also, don’t forget to get a Butterbeer! Yum! And make time to stop and watch their entertainment. Top notch!

    We did some other things at both parks while we were there. But nothing compared to Harry Potter. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter rivals anything Disney is doing right now. If Universal takes the cue and starts upping their game in other areas of the parks, then they will give Disney a run for their money. But even with the rest of Universal & Islands of Adventure being so-so for us, we were more than happy to spend the majority of our two days in the Harry Potter world. There are so many details that it’s definitely worth giving ourselves time to soak it in.

    We all loved it. If you are an any way a fan of the books or the movies, this is a MUST DO in Orlando!

  7. Thank you so much for your report! Our family is heading down to Universal in 4 weeks for our first family trip there. We are die-hard Disney fans and find it extremely hard to even think of a trip to Florida without visiting The World. We made a spontaneous decision a couple of weeks ago to spend spring break visiting Universal, mostly due to our desire to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We are going to take advantage of the early park entry by staying on property and have breakfast reserved at The Leaky Cauldron and The Three Broomsticks. Your report has come at the perfect time for us and has raised the anticipation level! We are looking forward to escaping our cold Michigan winter and warming up in the Florida sunshine for a few days. 🙂

  8. Spot on, Deb and Linda. Even though I am a dyed in the wool Disney fan (my sweet, patient and tolerant hubby is not), I so enjoyed the Hogwarts experience, as did my hubby. The food at the Leaky Cauldron was amazing, all of the interactive opportunities were more than I could have imagined, the entertainment around the park was superb. We were so impressed with the entire day that we returned the next day for more jaw dropping fun! I am still in amazement at the way the Harry Potter lands are so elaborate, full of eye-candy, with new views around every corner and a surprise here and there! Definitely a do-over when we are back in Florida!

  9. Loved the review! Thank you. It has been years since I was at Universal and think it may be time to head back over and check a few things out.