Trip Report Islands of Adventure "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter"

Universal Studios:

We loaded up the family and moved from our timeshare over to a Universal Studios Hotel.  We checked in at 7:30am and hopped aboard the shuttle boat so that we could be at Harry Potterville prior to 8am.  We entered Islands of Adventure and took off run/walking all the way to the back of the park to where Harry Potter awaited us.  

These are photos of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft.  This is where the primary attraction for Harry Potter is housed.  This is the ride that many people wait over 2 hours to experience.  On this first day, we waited approximately 40 minutes.  It was well worth the wait.  Now, a 2 hour wait???  I am not sure about that!!  The ride is a mixture of twisting and turning, jump out at you scary creatures, as well as the feeling that you are falling half the time.

This is the warning sign for the ride.  That alone scared me!!

These photographs are of the talking and moving Pictures that are frequent mentions in the Harry Potter books.

Ahhhh...Butterbeer.  This stuff was so good!!  We drank the frozen kind and it was very tasty.  Kind of sweet, so if sweet isn't your thing, get one to share!!

Universal Studios did a great job in recreating the town and stores surrounding Hogwarts.If you are a Harry Potter fan, this is a must do for sure!!

HoneyDukes is the store to find all the candy that was mentioned in the books.  Here we found, the Everyday Beans, the chocolate frogs, and a variety of other Harry Potter candy

The chocolate frog.  Cute, but not the best tasting chocolate!!

They had a great replica of the Hogwarts Express.  People were taking pictures with the Chief Engineer.

This is another entrance.  I guess right when this part of the park opens, the crowds are extreme.  We came about a half hour after opening, and had no trouble walking right in.

#2 had a great time chatting it up with one of the employees!!

All in all, we really liked The Wizarding World.  A top tip is to stay at one of the Universal Hotels.  For the extra money, it really works out to your advantage.

Have a great day!!!

MFM