A little while back Heather asked me if I wanted to go to Harry Potter World while I was in town. Pretty sure that was a no brainer and I excitedly said "YES"! Because a couple of my sisters had already started teaching school we could only go on the Saturday after the Adele concert. We were worried we would be really tired but decided we could suck it up for Harry Potter. Stephanie was not able to go this day so it was Me, Heather, Mom, Ashleigh and Erin.
We bought our tickets at Costco and all they had were season pass tickets but the season pass tickets at Costco were cheaper then a one day pass at the gate, weird.
I put on my Harry Potter shirt and hair bow and I was ready to go!!!
It was a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the main gates. Along the way I saw these beautiful palm trees and stopped to take a picture. California is on the coast but it is still really Desert and hot and though full of palm trees the palms that I was seeing were looking a little bit sickly. I was happy to see these palms because they looked really pretty and are the palms that I think of when I think of home.
After a long wait in line just to get through the front gates at Universal Studios we made our way over to Harry Potter world and let the fun begin. We were all pretty giddy walking through the entrance to this magical world. We are all huge HP fans and it was so thrilling to see the town of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle right before our very eyes!
Elizabeth, Erin, Heather and Mom marching in :)
Overall it was a really great replica of the town and castle. It was a lot smaller then I thought it would be but since it was a small part of a bigger amusement park that made sense. It was a really hot day and seeing the fake snow on all of the buildings was kind of funny to me.
I felt like I was going off to school on the Hogwarts Express with my backpack on. It would have been so cool to take a tour of the train but it was only a replica and not a complete one. Just there for the thrill and picture taking experience.
The first thing we did, and something we were so excited about, was to buy ourselves some butterbeer. The drinks were being sold at an outdoor kiosk and we lined up so we could get some. They also had Pumpkin Juice for sale and I wanted to try some of that also but I decided to wait on it and just get the butterbeer. The pumpkin juice was a bit more spendy and I am glad I decided to wait, later on in the day I saw a man drinking some and I asked him what it tasted like. It sounds to me like it would be a more fruity drink which is pretty appealing but he said it tasted like pumpkin with spice. That did not sound good and I opted out of buying any at all. Mom did and the next day she poured everyone out a little and we all got to try some. That tiny amount was enough for me to know that I did not like it and am glad I did not buy an entire bottle for me to drink. I would have never finished it.
I was the first to get the Butterbeer and we decided we would all wait until everyone had one then we would take the first sip together. We were so excited to try it and it smelled so good! Just like a butterscotch. It was a fizzy drink with whipped cream on top.
Cheers!
Oh yum was that drink good! It tasted just how I expected it to taste, like a butterscotch cream soda. I really liked it and would have bought more if they were cheaper. I think the cream was the best part, it was so good, tasted like butterscotch cream, yum yum!
After we bought our drinks we decided to get in line for the "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" ride. It was saying it was a two hour wait so we wanted to get that long wait over with. The line wove in and out through trees and things that made me think it was supposed to be kind of like the forbidden forrest. At one point we walked by the Weasley's car and that was fun to see.
We also saw different views of Hogwarts as we went around and around in the line. It was such a magnificent replica and I loved being able to see it!
In the top right picture above you can see the fan misters. They had these set out to spray over the line at different spots on our walk through the line. It was so hot outside that it was a nice relief when we were able to get in front of one of these. Unfortunately because of the moving line we could not stay in front of those misters for very long so that was a bummer.
Once we got to the entrance of the castle is when things got really annoying. We were not allowed to take any bags or backpacks on the ride with us and so as we headed inside they directed us over to the right into a room filled with lockers to put our stuff into while we went on the ride. It was a madhouse inside that room, we did not have any direction and it was a free for all with getting lockers. People were all over the place packed inside this room trying to store their things. Mom and I handed our bags to the others and they braved the mob to get lockers. Once that was done you could go left out of the room to get to the ride or right out of the room and go through a shop. When I saw that I thought what was to stop people from skipping the long and hot line and just come through the shop, through the locker room and onto the ride? It was not organized at all and we were happy to finally be out of the locker room heading to the ride. Going through the castle was fun because we got to see so many things form the books and movies.
We walked through Professor Sprouts Atriums and saw some Mandrakes
Inside the castle we walked by the jars holding the jewels keeping track of house points. Gryffindor is in the lead!
We had Harry, Ron and Hermione talking to us in the great hall and Dumbledore in his Headmasters Office. this is the gist of what was going on...
To enter the ride, guests walk through the gates of Hogwarts and begin their journey in the dungeons where they see items featured in the movies and books. Passengers enter through the castle doors, go to the lockers, queue outside in the green house and then enter the back castle doors. Objects recognizable from the series include the Mirror of Erised, the Hogwarts House Jewels and talking portraits. As guests proceed throughout the hallways, they encounter replicas of the rooms of Hogwarts castle, including the Headmaster's office, the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and the Gryffindor common room. In the Headmaster's office, Professor Dumbledore extends a warm welcome to all Muggles, informing them that Professor Binns is hosting a lecture on the history of the school. In the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appear from under the Invisibility Cloak, urging guests to meet them in the Room of Requirement in order to sneak everyone down to a Quidditchmatch. Ron tries to perform a magic trick which goes wrong, and one of several special effects, such as falling snow, is triggered. Before continuing on, visitors receive a safety reminder from the Sorting Hat and several paintings in the next two rooms.[10]
The ride, once we got on, was fun but a bit extreme. This is how it is described online...
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey uses KUKA robocoaster technology, which allows the seats to pivot while being held above the track by a robotic arm. However, the ride is not a roller coaster but a scenic dark ride. The experience includes a flight around Hogwarts castle, an encounter with the Whomping Willow and a horde of Dementors, and a Quidditch match. The ride drops, spins around, twists and turns, but does not turn upside down, though passengers sometimes lie flat on their backs. Over-the-shoulder bars are used to secure guests in their seats, and a single parabolic metal bar is used as a hand grip.
Once we were done we all felt a bit queasy, it is an intense ride. We needed a bit of time after that ride to get our bearings back and so we walked around the shop a little bit and then headed outside and looked at all of the wands for sale at the wand kiosk. After that we went to use the bathroom which was fun and looked like the bathrooms from the movie, we even heard moaning Myrtle making mischief the there. We decided to go get something to eat and headed over to the Three Broomsticks for lunch.
What we found when we got their was another line. Ugh, too many lines. We had to wait in a line outside just to get into the restaurant so Heather and I stood in line, Mom sat down in the shade to wait because she was struggling after the crazy ride and Ashleigh and Erin looked in more shops. Finally we got to go inside only to find we had another line to get through. It went pretty quick though and Mom was able to come inside the air conditioned restaurant and Erin and Ashleigh joined us shortly thereafter. Once we got our food we were told their was not any more seating inside and we could wait at least a half hour to be inside or we could just go outside and sit out there. I was not wanting to sit out in that heat but we also did not want to wait any longer for a table so we chose the outside option. It was actually quite nice eating outside, it was shaded and we had an enjoyable time. All of the food was English food, I got the roasted chicken with fried potatoes and corn on the cob. It was so delicious and I got incredibly full eating it.
After we ate we sat and rested a little bit more and then got up to wander around the shops. I was not thrilled with the layout of the shops, they were small and quite crowded. It was fun to see the different HP items they had for sale but it would have been a nicer experience with less people. After a while we decided to go on the other ride in Harry Potter world, "The Flight of the Hippogriff". Mom opts out since she was still not feeling well from the last ride. The ride was not as long which was nice and we got to see Hagrid's hut and his motorbike while we waited. We also spied Buckbeak the Hippogriff while we were on the ride.
Before...
After
This ride was a fun one. It was a roller coaster and although it was shorter then I would have liked it, it was a good one.
After the ride we decided to buy some wands. Initially Heather and Erin were the only ones wanting to buy wands. But after looking at them all I fell in love with Luna Lovegoods wand and even though I have no idea what I am going to do with it I decided to buy one. I think Luna was a cool character in the books and movies and her wand just called to me. Ashleigh and Heather also got that one, Erin bought Fleur Delacour's and Mom bought Molly Weasleys. The sales staff were surprised that she wanted Molly's and said nobody has ever bought her wand before, they were not even sure where it was located. Too funny!
After we bought the souvenirs we wanted we decided to venture out of Harry Potter World and go over to take the Studio Tours. It was a little over an hour wait but it was mostly under a shaded pavilion so it wasn't too bad. The ride was an hour long and it wasn't as fun as those of us who have done it before remembered. They highlighted Jaws, Bates Motel, Jurassic World, a San Fransisco earthquake and The Fast and the Furious. The only pictures I took were of the cars from the Fast and the Furious movies for Kefford. Although it was not as great as we were hoping it to be it was nice to sit down for an hour.
After that it was toward the end of the day and we were exhausted and ready to go home. I was so tired and slaphappy from the lack of sleep I had the past couple of days and Heather was telling us a story about something she did as a kid that made me laugh so hard I was crying. I later retold the story to my kids and none if us found it as funny as I did when I was so completely tired. I tend to get a bit hysterical when I am that tired and will manifest it with either uncontrollable laughter or tears. Luckily it does not happen that often.
It was a fun day and I am glad I got to experience it with my Mom and Sisters. I want to someday go back with Kefford and the kids but will have to save up quite a bit for it. I thought the experience was fun but did think things were a lot overpriced.