The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Universal Studios REVIEW

Me and my husband took a second honeymoon (actually it was meant to be a Christmas present) in October to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida. I am excited to relive the trip through this post. I will never forget it. I am as big of an HP fan as they come. I nearly cried when entering the HP section of the park. When I was younger I remember fantasizing about WHAT IF there was a Harry Potter World, and I would talk about all the possibilities! Who knew 12ish years later I would be there with my husband running through the park at 6AM chugging Starbucks, fighting a nasty case of the runs, and nerdgasming all over the place!

It was 6AM because we stayed in a hotel associated with the park and got a full hour before the park actually opened and the other commoner muggles got to enter. It was just us and maybe 20 other muggles.

As I flew past children and pushed elderly people out of my way to enter the park, I could hear the twinkling of Harry Potter music hit my ears. I jumped, I squealed. 

Gringotts was the only ride open at the time. It is half 3D and half roller coaster. You are emerged into the scenes where Harry, Ron and Hermione go to get the Horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup which is in the Lestrange families vault. You fly every which way through the place, like you are in a real cave. You are roughed up by Bellatrix and Voldemort and fly down in a terrifying black hole. But get saved by Harry, Ron and Hermione of course!

The building itself is truly amazing. You enter and see amazingly done dwarfs working, and chandeliers.

The actual fire breathing dragon who helps save you in the ride just chills on top of the building. Growling and shooting super hot (Yeah you can feel it down on the ground) fire every 10 minutes.

They didn't hold back on the details of this place. 

One thing I wonder is... Why isn't every city just like this? Wouldn't we all be a lot happier?

We ate in The Three Broomsticks. Very cool setting. Definitely feels like you are a dirty old witch or wizard coming to get bite to eat. I had the Shepherds Pie, and honestly the food wasn't super high quality, it was show-food mostly. But still fun to experience the atmosphere. This is where I tried the Butter beer.

I got it frozen. It was fizzy like soda, thick like a frappucino, with a marsh mellow like topping. Loved it.

The Joke Shop!

My favorite place was Fred and Georges Joke Shop!

It had everything, and I wanted to buy EVERYTHING!!!

The outside of the Joke shop was painted with very cool details. I just loved this wall.

I love this wonder witch painting, I want it as a tattoo.

The first day during our hour before other muggles came in, we went to Ollivanders shop and with only about 6 people in the room we watched a woman who played Ollivander very well, act out the scene where Harry Potter's wand chooses him from the first movie. This lucky little girl about 10 years old got to have a wand choose her. The lights flickered, the music played, and the wand chose her! It was magical.

There were wands you could buy for about $60 that would activate certain things throughout the park. But I say it's not worth the money unless you have a kid with you to do it. Me and my husband would just stand and watch as little kids did their spells and activated funny things in the window displays.

HoneyDukes Sweet Shop was a delightful pink and green shop filled with all the Harry Potter sweets the book speaks of.

These were very cool. Solid huge chocolate frogs inside and who knows what famous witch or wizard you will see on your card!

Knockturn Alley was where all the dark wizard stuff was. It had a really cool dark sky above, and creepy people stalked around in corners.

When your "done" with the one side of HP land, you can take the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade! Which is covered in snow and is where a few other rides are. Like the Dueling Dragons, the super fun roller coaster, which was just scary enough.

The first time we got on the Hogwarts Express, a British family got in our little cubby just like the movies. I wanted so badly to tell them they were truly adding to my experience by speaking with that accent.

The castle was mind blowing. Inside the castle is where the ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was. But you got to walk through Dumbledore's office, the DADA classroom, and the Gryffindor tower first. The ride was 3D with no glasses. You sit in a row of four seats and zoom around, feeling like you are really on a broom, dementors fly at you, you get stuck in the whomping willow tree. It was the best ride ever.

Gryffindor's in the lead of course...

I stayed there for 5 days, did the Halloween Horror Nights, and saw most of Universal. Harry Potter world was definitely the best part. Here are some more random photos.

Just another crazy year at Hogwarts...