vdeleon

Hi! We are a family of four planning our first visit to Universal Studios in Orlando. For this trip, we are hoping to make it a Harry Potter celebration (all Harry Potter, all the time!) We are all big fans and looking forward to enjoying every bit of this trip.
I would be grateful to hear opinions on how many days we should plan for the parks, best onsite hotels, best meals, and highlights not-to-be-missed. Details regarding logistics (which things to do early in the visit) are appreciated, as well.
Thank you for sharing!!

schmerl

We love staying at the Royal Pacific Resort which is one of the on site hotels that give you express access to most park attractions. You also get early park admission which is when you would want to do the Harry Potter attraction since express access doesn't work on those.

marvelousmouse

You want a park hopper. Be sure to buy the interactive wands for the full experience I wasn't very impressed by the food but the sweets shop is a lot of fun.

I did HP and Universal in one day. I would have wanted a second day for time in Islands of Adventure. But I had an express pass and would have needed a third day if not.

schmerl

Our favorite restaurant is Mythos is Islands of Adventure. It is a sit down restaurant and a nice place for a lunch break.

vdeleon

Thank you for the excellent suggestions!
We are staying at the Portofino Bay, and we have two-day passes with the Express pass.
More suggestions are welcome! Three things in particular...
1) Best place for a lovely late dinner at Portofino Bay?
2) Can anyone suggest whether we should begin the day in Hogsmeade or in Diagon Alley?
3) I wonder if we need to start at Ollivander's or can we get the interactive wand elsewhere.

Thank you, travelers!

gmoney

- The Hard Rock hotel is the most convenient to the parks.

- Butterbeer, butterbeer, butterbeer (not the frozen one). I actually went into the park one time just to get a butterbeer.

- Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor at Diagon Alley here are the flavors:

Earl Grey & Lavender (hard pack)
Chocolate Chili (hard pack)
Clotted Cream (hard pack)
Apple Crumble (hard pack)
Sticky Toffee Pudding (hard pack)
Strawberry and Peanut-Butter (hard pack)

marvelousmouse

I don't know if it matters much where you start. I started in Diagon Alley and would again, because if I rode the journey to hog warts ride first, it would have been all over vertigo wise.

I think you can buy the wands multiple places, but I would definitely start with ollivanders for the whole experience. It's not out of your way- it really is like walking into Diagon alley. Ollivanders is right there! Have fun

doug_stallings

Ollivander's at Diagon Alley is significantly bigger than Ollivander's at Hogsmeade. They built it specifically to fix some of the crowding issues at the original.

Readers report that they like the food at Three Broomsticks.

You should begin each day in a different park because the Express Pass doesn't apply to the main rides (Escape from Gringott's and The Forbidden Journey). In each case, the main ride is only less crowded because you get early access. To maximize your experience, you actually need to spend three nights at the park hotel so you have two full days to enjoy the parks. But I'm not sure there's enough to really occupy you full-time, and there are alot of other great rides and attractions at Universal. Maybe spend the first part of each day at Harry Potter and then rest and spend the rest of the day in the other parts of the parks. If you have a three-day park hopper, you can also spend a few hours on your arrival day in the park.