The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-First Visit
 

We live in Orlando and took our visiting nephew to the Harry Potter Wizarding World last Sunday.

I looked online and there are no discounts for Florida residents for a one day one park pass. Bummer. So we got up early and got to the park at 9:00am opening time. The charge to park is $14 a car, a rip off. And they keep asking if you want premium parking (you want fries with that?) for an extra fee.

The Harry Potter exhibit is in Islands of Adventure, not made very plain. We went to kiosk and bought tickets and then walked through City Walk. Once we made the left to Islands of Adventure, we were told to stay to the right for Wizarding World. The line had begun. We took tickets to get into the Wizarding World and walked and stood for about a half hour. The line was managed pretty well by Universal employees.

We finally got there and walk into the Hogwarts Express train and station and of course, everyone stops to get their picture taken with the train and the attendant. I would recommend going straight to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. The line is long (70 minutes at 9:30am) and the ride is worth the wait. The line snakes inside Hogwarts where it is air conditioned and there are great exhibits (talking pictures, etc.) Then it goes outside again and through the mandrake nursery which is no air conditioned but has lots of fans. When you go back into Hogwarts, there are no hand carried items allowed. You go into a neat locker room where your fingerprint opens a locker and you put your stuff away. Unfortunately, when you come back to retrieve your stuff, your fingerprint doesn't open the locker in about 20% of the cases requiring the services on one overworked attendant to manually open the locker for you.

The ride is great with the latest technology. I won't spoil it for you, but it puts anything at Disney to shame.

Then you do the ubiquitous exit to the gift shop and photo purchase and try to get your stuff out of the locker (which didn't work for use causing about 20 minutes of wait.)

The village is very well done and looks ancient. The walls are all uneven, overhanging the street and looks about ready to fall down.

My nephew wanted to buy a wand from Olivanders where the wait was 2 hours. My wife and I went to Three Broomsticks for lunch. This was 11:30am and the wait looked short. Of course, once you go into the building, there is another line! We waited about 20 minutes to order and I ordered the shepards pie and my wife ordered the fish and chips. You go to another line to receive your order and then attendants direct you to a table. Warning, if you only order drinks, they won't let you sit at a table. There is an outside patio where they will put you further up in the line if you want to go there, but with the temperatures approach 95 degrees, we wanted air conditioning.

The food was quite good for park food, I had to try the butter beer and ordered a frozen one and it was really great. Like a cross between a cream soda and butter scotch.

Next door to the restaurant is Hogs Head bar, where you can order drinks. There is a large hog head on the wall which periodically snorts and moves. it was funny to sit and watch newcomers jump when the head started snorting.

After lunch, we kept texting my nephew who was still waiting in line. We went to the Owlery and sat to wait, which is convenient because it is the exit for Olivanders.

Once he came out and we walked by the line to get in, people where chanting "We need shade" because it had become brutally hot and the line was in full sun. This line was not well thought out.

We went into Honeydukes to buy a souvenir and there was another line, but not too bad. Cute candies including chocolate frogs, but no vomit flavored jelly beans!

We skipped the dragon challenge roller coaster because it seemed just a rebadging of the two coasters which were already there and we were interested in the Wizarding World. It seems others agreed with us because the wait for the dragon challenge was never over 20 minutes.

In short, for a local who has become used to the theme parks and their focus on separating you from your money, Hogwarts is well done and worth the effort to visit even with the wait for everything. My advice is to go as early as you can, especially in the summer, and go directly to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey preferable without handbags, etc.

Eat lunch at Three Broomsticks even though there are many other restaurants within a quick walk with far less wait, the ambiance is truly Hogwarts.

Then go back to the hotel and jump in the pool!

So glad to see your review. Thank you!

How long to do you recommend we would want to stay at Wizarding World? Half a day? After visiting - would we still be able to fit in Island of Adventure for the rest of our day? Speaking of - how were the crowds at IOA and Univeral?

We were at Wizarding World from 9am to about 1pm and that was enough for me. It is quit brilliant, but really not that big. All the crowds were at WW and the rest of IOA seemed uncrowded. Some of the local hotels have early access to IOA which might be worth it. Get there one hour early, spend the morning at WW, and then go back to the hotel for a nap during the warmest part of the day. Then enjoy the rest of IOA through the evening.

I thought it was hot here in Florida, then we took a trip to Virginia (I was racing at Virginia International Raceay) and it was hotter! Good luck.

I have heard about the waits and it is outrageous. We want to go someday but will wait a couple years until the smaller kids are big enough to ride everyting offered at both parks. Off to WDW for fall break though.

Thanks for a very thorough report! I also live in the area; a few friends have been there and enjoyed it very much, although they were lucky to be there on a rainy day which kept the crowds done.

Sounds like you had a great time and I sm looking forward to heading down there for my Birthday this year in October.

I can tell from your post that you've also read the books. Wish she would write a few more...........

THANK YOU for the trip report! The details are very much appreciated.
We are going next April, and hopefully on a weekday.

We have other friends who want to go to WW in a few weeks. I will see if the crowds thin out in the afternoon. Islands of Adventure is open until 10pm, so it might be better in the afternoon and evening. The village should be a delight at night. Has anyone gone to WW at night?

A friend is headed there right now. I'll post an update about lines - unless it's a private event and WW is closed for just their group. I can't wait to hear about the park.

A quick update - quick because they blew in and out pretty fast. My friend did NOT like the Harry Potter ride. Great sensory ride but a bit too much for her. She shut her eyes early on and happily missed a lot of the action. This is a person who likes roller coasters and zombie movies, so I was very surprised at that. She thinks it will be way too much for a lot of kids. She loved the Dragon ride. Enjoyed the butter beer. The park was open to others but they were jumped to the head of the lines. They were there scouting out for a corporate event that will rent out the park they decide on. She agrees with the OP that 3 to 4 hours would be enough for WW. I'm looking forward to going in April - even the Harry Potter ride :-)

My wife was OK on the Forbidden Journey ride (closed her eyes several times) and she is a big chicken!

How rough is FJ? I am a truly gigantic ride chicken (the drop on Pirates of the Caribbean is about as much excitement as I can take). I do like rides, but I like them very tame.

this is a great trip report racer. thanks for the info.
my DH and I are big Harry Potter fans and since none of our grown kids are, maybe we'll take the grandkids someday or go all by ourselves!! :)

Thanks for the trip report, it sounds like a good time. I love Harry Potter books, the movies were okay.

How picky were they about the details? For instance, when you used the restroom, was it like the girls bathroom in the Chamber of Secrets with or without Moaning Myrtle?

How did they do the ghosts?

When they can replicate the Prefect's bath that was in the Goblet of Fire, I'll stay at the hotel :)

Moaning Myrtle was in the bathrooms.
I absolutely loved Forbidden Journey. It reminded me a lot of Soarin' California (?) at CA Adventure. If you close your eyes I don't think you'd get nearly the effect because a lot of it is illusion - kind of like an IMAX - but of course, much better.
Now the Dragon Rollercoaster was another story and I didn't stomach that one very well. Can't remember the name - but there are at least 2 diff. rollercoasters for the same ride that provide different experiences.

Sounds fun blueslipper. Thanks for getting back on it. Since I think that Rowling still had a say in it, she would be in the details. :)

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