You know how everyone has that one subject they nerd out over? For some it's Tolkien, for others it's computer games. For me, it's Harry Potter. I credit it with getting me through some of the loneliest years of my life, and for reaching into my head and shattering the limits of my imagination. It's the series that made me want to become a writer. It became the framework to the narrative of my childhood. And it showed me that 'happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.' So you can imagine how excited I was when my mom took me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, for my 21st birthday. Talk about a bucket list trip!
There were surprisingly few people milling about when we got to Islands of Adventure. Almost no one was in the entrance area, nor in Seuss' Landing or the Lost Continent, both of which we passed through. Might I possibly get to experience the park almost to myself, as authentically as possible? This delusion remained just long enough to reach the gates of Hogsmeade. It was heaving. Everyone in the park was as eager to spend a day in Harry's world as I was. Tiny fans, not even born when the last book was released eight years ago, jumped around excitedly in Gryffindor robes, begging their exhausted parents to take them on the Hogwarts Express.
There were lots of shops straight out of the books, like Zonko's, Honeydukes, and Dervish and Banges. A young girl called Lily (not that Lily) was picked out of the group in Ollivander's for a 'wand chooses the wizard' demonstration. It happened pretty much as in the first movie; she tried out a few wands, causing drawers to shoot open and shelves to collapse, until she was chosen by a wand. It was cute. I spent ages trying to decide which wand to buy. There were dozens to choose from - you could buy the wands of pretty much every character, right down to Fenrir Greyback and Dean Thomas, or you could choose one based on the wood, instead. You could even buy interactive wands that actually made 'magic' happen, if you waved them at certain spots. Some of the death eaters' wands were designed really intricately with skull carvings and the like, but I decided to go with Luna's.
We only had six hours to spend in Orlando, before we had to catch the bus back to Port Canaveral. Personally, I was willing to miss it and stay in Hogsmeade forever, perhaps as a new Hogwarts ghost, but my mom wasn't so keen. I wanted to check out Diagon Alley as well, so I was quick in the other shops. Dervish and Banges had some seriously cool merchandise, like sneakoscopes, omnioculars, remembralls, and quaffles. I really wanted to buy a Monster Book of Monsters, but I forgot! I did buy a Slytherin notebook for one of my slippery friends back home.
At this point, I was getting kind of thirsty, so I bought a pumpkin juice (and a gillywater for my mom). It was weird - all cinnamon and apples, like a non-alcoholic mulled wine. To be honest, I mainly bought the pumpkin juice for the cool bottle. My camera overheated at this point, so no pictures for a while! After this, we decided to catch the Hogwarts Express over to Diagon Alley, in the main Universal Park. I wasn't satisfied with the amount of time we had in Hogsmeade - and we hadn't yet been on any rides - but we were running out of time and I wanted to see everything.
The Express was a feature all by itself! Everyone was allocated a cabin by the conductors, which were shared by six people. A screen on the outer facing window made it look like you were really travelling to King's Cross, waved off by Hagrid and passing through the Forbidden Forest and Scottish lochs. The inner facing cabin door had an effect that made it look as though people were passing by; fans will recognise the familiar voice and silhouette of the 'aaaaanything from the trolley' lady. At some point, the golden trio pass by, debating whether to sit in the cabin or not. It was really quite enchanting! You exit the train at the other side into what has been made to look like King's Cross Station. It looked disarmingly like a real London tube station, and I actually felt like I'd gone home. Bizarre!
We exited the station into a small area that had been made to look like a regular London street, though it strangely seemed to be 1950s London, with rockabilly records in an old fashioned shop window. Piccadilly Circus' Eros fountain has been mysteriously placed outside King's Cross station - wizardry afoot? - but it otherwise looks pretty muggle-tastic. And then, out of nowhere, the Knight Bus! Wizardry definitely afoot.
Suddenly, the famous moving brick wall entrance into Diagon Alley came into view. Except it wasn't really moving, but you know, details. Passing through, I entered what can only be described as an explosion of everything that makes up Harry Potter. Wonky buildings, dragons atop banks, quirky shopfronts, piles of pewter cauldrons... The hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley, the epicentre of Wizarding London, seemed much more appropriate than it had in Hogsmeade. It was also much more closed in, and there was no fake snow somehow pervading the Floridian heat, so it seemed more authentic somehow. Lining the alley were shops I'd grown up fantasising about visiting - Eeylops Owl Emporium with their strange hanging cages, Flourish & Blotts with their moving books and self-knitting needles in the window, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where Hagrid bought Harry his first ice cream, Gringott's, Madam Malkin's, the Daily Prophet offices, Shutterbuttons - where I'd been urged to find a real witch camera by the conductor of the Hogwarts Express - and of course, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a carnival of a shop, shining manically at the end of the row.
I made a beeline for the giant Weasley twin, tipping his hat to the muggles invading Diagon Alley. In the window is an interactive display for U-No-Poo, a joke constipation product straight from the books. I was thrilled to see it, because I vividly remember reading Half Blood Prince and being thoroughly amused by the accompanying advertisement ("Why are you worrying about You Know Who? You should be worrying about U-No-Poo. The constipation sensation that's gripping the nation!")
It was my favourite shop of either of the parks. It sold all the products that amused us throughout the series: puking pastilles, fainting fudge, extendable ears, skiving snackboxes, and WonderWitch products like pygmy puffs and love potions. Didn't spot any Nose Biting Teacups, though. Probably a good thing. I found a delightful Cycling Dolores Umbridge, which naturally, I bought ASAP. I also bought a chocolate frog (my card was Helga Hufflepuff), and another pygmy puff. As if the one I bought in Filch's Emporium wasn't enough. Their names are Arnold and Aurora.
After that, it was a quick trip to Quality Quidditch Supplies. I left with just a fluttering golden snitch, a Chudley Canons banner, and a Gryffindor jumper. The jumper was $60 before tax, which was sort of out of my budget, but at least I was sensible enough to refrain from buying a quaffle and several t-shirts. A visit to Gringott's yielded a bag of chocolate galleons, knuts, and sickles, and I left another shop with a Gryffindor notebook and a recordable howler. I was very excited to have my own howler, and still haven't recorded it for fear of messing it up. Every time I even think about howlers, the voices of Seamus ("Look, everyone, Weasley's got himself a howler") and Mrs Weasley ("RONALD Weasley, how DARE you steal that car?") clang around my head.
At this point, our time at Universal was coming to a close - really, you need days to fully explore this place - and we headed into the Leaky Cauldron for some 'authentic British food'. It wasn't even close to authentic; the chips were potato wedges, and the sticky toffee pudding seemed to be a hybrid of spotted dick and bread pudding. It was, however, delicious, and I got to wash it down with a mug of butterbeer, so who's complaining? Actually, the butterbeer was kind of gross, but it's something every fan is desperate to try. I've lost count of how many times my uni friends and I attempted it with bottles of soda and treacle from the 99p Shop.
We decided, based on the time we had left, to skip the rides at the Diagon Alley part of the park, and catch the Express back over to Hogsmeade. I wanted to experience the groundbreaking Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey ride, located back over in Islands of Adventure. I can't tell you how glad I am that I chose to spend the remainder of my time on this ride, because it was incredible. Even if you're not a Harry Potter fan, you will be wowed. I will say, though, if you're arachnophobic or have young children, I'd give it some thought before riding. It's pretty intense.
There was no queue to get on the ride as it was nearly closing time, which was almost a shame as the line was an attraction by itself. Winding through the famous castle, you actually felt like you were in the real Hogwarts as you walked to the ride. The wait is often two hours long, so they give you lots to do in the meantime. Admire the majestic phoenix staircase to Dumbledore's office before watching incredibly lifelike holograms of Harry, Ron, and Hermione discussing you from a floor above ("They're muggles, Hermione. Not morons.") I loved getting to walk through the classrooms - I felt like I really was a Hogwarts student. Catch Neville getting scolded by Snape in the potions classroom! The attention to detail is just spectacular. I had to hurry through all of this in order to catch the ship at Port Canaveral, which was disappointing. Never thought I'd despair at skipping a queue!
The ride itself was just something else. The technology is too unreal for my mind to even comprehend. You sit in a little bench with three others, before the Hermione hologram blows floo powder at you, and off you go. You fly on your enchanted bench through the entire Harry Potter series, living it out as if you really were in it. Some of it is a physical set with animatronics, while other parts of the ride use unbelievably sophisticated projection systems. We flew through the quidditch pitch with Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team, and I swear to you - as a reasonably mature 21 year old - I thought I was flying and that Harry really was beckoning to me. The technology is that good. I was constantly lifting up my legs to avoid hitting things that weren't even there!
Before you know it, you're being chased by the deadly Hungarian Horntail, fighting off dementors, evading the Whomping Willow and seeking refuge in the Chamber of Secrets. I have to admit, the Forbidden Forest really freaked me out - I wasn't expecting to be attacked by Aragog and his acromantula family! I'm not a fan of spiders at all, and they looked too real for comfort. The dementors were also genuinely scary - too intense, perhaps, for younger kids. At some point, one will attempt to execute the famous Dementor's Kiss, and you'll actually 'see' your soul being sucked from your body. This sophisticated effect is one of the strangest things I've ever experienced - your face literally materialises in the fog, completely separate from your physical self. I've heard it doesn't always work, so I count myself lucky. Don't worry, though, Harry will cast his patronus and save you!
When it's all over, you soar over the beautiful Scottish Highlands back to the castle, to be waved goodbye by Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and other students. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to hold back tears; Harry Potter has meant the world to me since I was six years old, and this is the closest thing a fan will ever get to actually living out the books. I suspect many die-hard fans will feel as overwhelmed as I was. You exit the ride into Filch's Emporium, and then immediately run out of the shop and back into the queue for some more...
Unless you're me, and you stupidly left the ride til last. We had to sprint back to the meeting point as soon as we met back up (my mom didn't want to ride), but I was so desperate to do it again. I am, however, thrilled that I ended my day on such a high. I was buzzing!
I haven't yet found words evocative enough to describe the joy my visit to the Wizarding World gave me. It was everything I hoped it would be. Universal have tapped into, I believe, what the fans truly want - an authentic experience that doesn't feel tacky. The park remains true to the slightly quirky, very British spirit of Harry Potter. This is a place to be taken away by, to be at once stilled with wonderment and pepped with fangirlish enthusiasm. This isn't somewhere to buy t-shirts with Harry's face on them, it's the place to buy t-shirts that Harry might actually wear. Even the packaging on the merchandise looks as if it was zapped straight from the movies. Be it by floo powder, apparation, broomstick or plain old airplane, every fan needs to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
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