Harry Potter World!

Since we were in Orlando, I really wanted to check out Harry Potter World.  We didn't have a car, so we had to figure out the most economical way to get to Universal Studios from our Disney World resort.  I found taking the MEARS transportation bus the easiest way for our family to get there.  It was actually a very convenient and comfortable way to travel there.  I called the night before we wanted to go, and scheduled a pick up time for the next morning.  There were a couple of stops at other Disney resorts, but we were soon on our way there.  We also had a scheduled return time from Universal Studios, but they gave us a phone number to call if we wanted an earlier or later pick up once we were there.

We found the cheapest way to buy tickets was to buy them online directly from the Universal website.  I printed them out and packed them with us.  The only problem was that we had to go because the tickets were already purchased.  This meant that the we had to go during a very rainy day!

But even the rain couldn't damper our fun at Harry Potter World.  It was like walking into the movie. 

As you can see it was packed with people, all in their rain ponchos.  Here is what we saw as we entered Hogsmeade. A short walk further, easier said then done in this crowd, we came upon the Hogwarts Castle.

The ride inside the castle is unlike any ride I've ever been on.  I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but it was worth the very long wait!  If thrill rides aren't your thing, or if your kids aren't tall enough for the ride, you can go through a separate entrance and see all the magic inside the castle without waiting in the long line. There is also a baby swap area just before you enter the ride, so parents can take turns watching the kid(s) and going on the ride.

Of course, what would a trip to Harry Potter World be without a very expensive mug of Butter Beer! 

It was delicious!

Harry Potter World is full of treats from the books and movies.  Here is the Hogwarts Express.

We had a lot of fun at Universal Studios, especially at Harry Potter World.  My kids, DD 6 and DD 2.5 were still a little too young to fully appreciate the park.  We were also spoiled with the efficiency and cleanliness of Disney World, which I felt Universal Studios falls short in comparison.  The park was also extremely busy and you have to pay a lot of extra money for their version of a "Fast Pass" system, which is included at Disney.  That meant really long lines all over the park.

 "Please Respect the Spell Limits"

 I was nearly trampled trying to buy a t-shirt in one of the gift shops.  I'm sure we missed many aspects of HPW, because the crowds just made it too difficult to navigate.  The fact we had a stroller didn't help either.  The area is actually very narrow, in retrospect I'm sure it would have been better to make this area wider.   Overall it was well worth the visit.  All the British tourists really helped to add to the authenticity of the experience too ;o)

I hope to return when my kids are older and have read all the books and seen the movies so they can fully appreciate the splendor that is Harry Potter World!