This Christmas Break we headed down to Universal Studios Orlando to see what all the fuss about Hogwarts was. We were not disappointed 😉
My oldest is 11, and an avid reader. That is pretty important if you know anything about the Harry Potter series. 11 is the age when wizarding children receive their acceptance letters from Hogwarts. Conveniently, his birthday is also a few days before Christmas. So, for Christmas this year, both kids received Hogwarts letters (I know, I could have made it more realistic and just brought the little one along without a letter, but she needed something tangible to open on Christmas Day as well.)
I used this website to create the letters for free, and printed them out on 32lb linen resume paper for an authentic feel. They came out pretty well, and the kids were definitely excited to get them. There was a little confusion though, and it took a while to get through to them that yes, they were actually going to Hogwarts, and in a few days at that.
If you are unsure about taking kids on a plane for the first time, check out this post about flying with kids. It really isn’t all that hard if you are prepared.
How to Get to Hogwarts
Officially called “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” Hogwarts Castle is located at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, FL. This is important to keep in mind. If you want to visit the entirety of Universal’s recreation of the Harry Potter universe, you will actually need to go to two parks. At Universal Studios proper, London is recreated, with King’s Cross station, Grimwald Place and Diagon Alley. It would be a truncated trip to Hogwarts without visiting Diagon Alley where you can stop by Ollivander’s for a wand, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes for mischief making and a side trip into Knockturn Alley at Borgin and Burkes for your shadier purchases.
This was the route we took, examining all of Ollivander’s offerings for the perfect wands (neither of my kids chose a character wand, instead going with those unused by any wizard or witch previously) so that we could fully participate in the magic around us. Seriously though, with the proper wands, you can do magic in Diagon Alley and Hogsmead. While every wand available at Ollivander’s and Gregorovich’s will perform magic under the right circumstances, there are wands that will not available in the myriad of gift shops scattered through universal. And the price is not much different, so be sure to buy one that comes in an Ollivander’s box and has a black plastic tip on it.
We did not dally long in London the first day, eager to get to Hogwarts as we were. From King’s Cross Station it is a fairly simple thing to hurry on over to platform 9 3/4 to catch the Hogwarts Express (providing you have a ticket valid for Islands of Adventure and not just Universal.) The Hogwarts Express brings you through the magical English countryside to the town of Hogsmead, where the silhouette of Hogwarts Castle dominates the landscape. It was winter in Hogsmead, with snow covering the rooftops when we arrived, and decorated for a magical Christmas.
Magic Wands and Magic Moments
As a mentioned earlier, with the proper wand, you can do magic in Diagon Alley and Hogsmead. You can buy a wand with an electronic receiver at just about any gift shop in the Wizarding World, and any that is not specific to another Universal attraction. Most of them do also sell wands that will not activate the sensors, so be sure to check. Scattered about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter are brass plaques on the cobbles. These indicate a particular spell of some sort, and show you the wand motion and words necessary to perform the spell.
Buy a wand for you at Hogwarts
No, this is important. As you will soon figure out, the words are not strictly necessary, the directed movements of the wand are. And in order to be successful, they must be directed at an infrared sensor, and performed in a fairly tight motion. No big swooping gestures. As you don’t actually have to say anything, and the motions are small, you can perform the spell silently and subtly. Say, while standing behind a 7 year old wildly gesticulating with their wand… And like magic 😉 the spell works. Most of the spells activate the motion of one object or another, though some turn on/off lights, and others cause streams of water to fly through the air. It is a lot of fun, and not an experience that you want the kids to miss.
Remember, children can’t use magic outside of Hogwarts!
I did explain that the wands were special though, and that they had been charmed with a spell that only allowed them to work in certain areas, and for spells that could not hurt anyone. Important to keep the magic up while avoiding the tears that come when an older sibling is dishing out killing curses and the younger can’t manage to get expelliarmous to work.
The Hogwarts Rides at Universal Orlando
Now that you’ve had some time to get a feel for Harry Potter’s World of Wizarding, it’s time to try out the main attractions. We went to Universal between Christmas and New Years. Chances are, this is a time that you might also be trying to find a vacation. It was packed. And while most of the time it appears that the lines don’t extend out nearly as far as they could, wait times over the holidays are pretty serious. We hit up a lot of other rides elsewhere in the park, grabbing spots in line for anything with less than an hour wait to break up the day.
Escape From Gringott’s
This is the only roller-coaster style ride in Diagon Alley. It is a fast paced ride through all of the underground working of Gringott’s Bank. There are dragons, drops and death-eaters involved. It is a lot of fun, and the most kid friendly of the fast rides. My daughter’s favorite of the three roller-coasters. This was where we were intorduced to the modern amusement park line. Yes, we waited in roped off areas for a while. But much of the line took place in Gringott’s itself. Winding its way through the goblins hard at work in the outer bank, down through the lower floors, and finally into an elevator down to the vault levels. After about 90 minutes we were aboard, and it really didn’t feel long at all.
Hogwarts Express
You need to take the train across between London and Hogsmead at least once, though I’m told that you should take it in both directions if you can. Sadly there was always at least a 60 minute wait to go back to King’s Cross, so we never took it in that direction. And no, you don’t have to get up the courage to walk through the wall between platforms 9 and 10. But if you wait back a ways, there is a vantage point from where it sure appears everyone is 😉
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
What would a trip to Universal Studios recreation of Hogwarts be without actually going inside the castle? This is where that happens. The line for this ride may be the best done in the entire park. You will tread the halls and staircases of Hogwarts on your way to the ride itself. Walking through classrooms, past moving paintings, and even through Dumbledore’s office. There are holographic displays, and lots to see and do inside. The ride itself is one of the best done illusions I have ever seen. You are strapped into a harness with absolutely nothing in front of you. No track. No other cars. Just the person next to you, who is barely visible. All around you the screen opens up. Throughout the ride you are flying over the castle, through rooms, and even into the tunnels below (some of this is actual animatronic display and not screens). The wind, air temperature, and even a little precipitation are present. It was amazing. It’s also best not to eat a whole lot first. Especially if you’re prone to motion sickness.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
This is the newest ride in the entire park. It is everything that you could hope for, and I don’t want to spoil it for you. But it has a long wait. We hopped in line when the ticker read 180 minutes. It had been as high as 360 minutes while we were there, and finally, on our last day, in the dark, we were waiting for our adventure.
Like all of the rides in Hogwarts, the wait was not all that bad. We were treated to wanders through rooms of dragon eggs, dimly lit stone passages, and even holographic presentations cluing us in to the ride ahead. The 3 hours passed quicker than we would have expected. This was the one ride I didn’t push my little one to go on. The three of us sat in the child swap room until my sister was done, and then my oldest and I got on (maybe another 15-20 minutes of waiting). It is a 2 person ride. One on a motorcycle, the other in a sidecar. If you have two children with you, and don’t trust either to ride with a stranger, a park employee can ride along with the older (this was almost our situation). It is a fast ride. Really fast, don’t have anything loose on you. And totally worth the wait.
Did we Enjoy our Hogwarts Adventure at Universal Studios?
Yes. In a big way. I would love to head back during a slower time of year to hop on a few more rides, and get to do some of them again. We had high hopes for a second run on Gringott’s, but the line time never got down low enough for it to be worth it. We will be back though. In a few years I’ll have another 11 year old 😉
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