Today I endured 95 degree heat, high humidity and long lines to tour the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And it was worth it all!!! Located at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, the new attraction is a hit!! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened two months ago. We arrived at the theme park about 10:30am and made it as far as the Jurassic Park area when we had to stop and wait in line. We were given tickets to enter the Wizarding World area. I took my two eldest children with me today and we were told the wait was about 90 minutes. Fortunately we only waited about 35 minutes to get into the main entrance of the magical attraction.
We immediately decided to pass on any of the rides. The ride wait times ranged between 30 to 75 minutes. Since it was so hot and humid we opted to walk around the attraction and take in the atmosphere and check out the shops. The snow covered buildings made me long for cooler weather! We walked to the back of the attraction to find Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was an impressive structure. It houses the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride and a small gift shop. There is also a wand stand nearby. Each wand is $30.84 with tax. You can choose your wand. My kids' both chose Harry Potter's.
I had been excited to try butter beer and am still craving more. For $10.50 you can buy the butter beer in a souvenir cup. I also purchased the pumpkin juice as well. The pumpkin juice was very refreshing, but the butter beer was amazing. I tried the cold version. They sell cold and frozen. I talked to a few people who loved the frozen as well. I have to say I would pay money to return to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter just for the butter beer.
The theme of the day was long lines. There was even a line to get into the Three Broomsticks restaurant for some fish and chips or shepherd's pie.
I plan to return in mid October to see if the lines have died down, but I highly doubt it.
For a quick tour of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, check out my video on the right hand side of this page.
