The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

To coincide with the new trailer of the Deathly Hallows Part one (above), it’s about time I get around to giving my review on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP).
My relationship with Harry Potter started when I was nine and as such is the longest love affair I’ve had to date. There are many others like me that have grown up anticipating the release of the next book and later, the newest movie. I know that the Harry Potter series inspired a generation of people to fall in love with reading but for me that wasn’t the case. I had always loved to read so this constant re-reading of the books wasn’t a change to my lifestyle but it did give me something better. As I grew up, so did the characters and every book launch marked a significant departure from the last year with the excitement of the series mounting all the time. By the time the last book came out, I had so many people reading the series that the atmosphere was the polar opposite than the reception I received asking friends to go to see the first movie with me. In fact it was so difficult to get someone to go to see Harry Potter with me that I saw the Philosopher’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets alone in the cinema. For people like me, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a must-see.

As soon as you walk into Islands of Adventure, you can see Hogwarts in the distance. This acts as a kind of guiding star, drawing you straight to the Harry Potter section of the park. As soon as you step into Hogsmeade, you feel like you have stepped into the movie. The park is a perfect replica of the imagery that we have come to love in the movie series. The Hogwarts Express is the first thing to greet you and there are many trunks scattered around the train. A Hogwarts Express conductor greets you for a photo op and steam intermittently blasts from the train.

There are three rides to experience in the WWoHP. The first roller coaster you encounter is the Dragon Challenge. This was renamed and re-themed from the Dueling Dragons roller coaster but it is such a great coaster that I’m definitely glad it’s part of the WWoHP. It is designed to be like the Triwizard tournament and you are a champion.  You can choose between the The Chinese Fireball which reaches a top speed of 60 mph and the Hungarian Horntail dragon which reaches a top speed of 55 mph. The dragons launch at exactly the same time and there are three times that you feel like you will crash into the other coaster. Both dragons have five inversions but it’s needless to say the Fireball is the one to go for and the front row is definitely worth queueing for.

The next roller coaster is much more family orientated. Flight of the Hippogriff is a very sweet roller coaster that kids will love where you learn how to approach a Hippogriff and then get to fly over Hagrid’s hut and pumpkin patch. There is a lovely view of Hogwarts while you’re up top too.

Hogwarts itself looks incredible. You can’t help but marvel at how much of a perfect replica it is. From far away, you can see that palm trees are really surrounding the area but they have planted pine trees closer to the castle to make it look more authentic.

The third ride is the Forbidden Journey which is the main focus of the park. You get to walk through Hogwarts and encounter lots of fun stuff inside the the castle. You go through the Herbology greenhouse, see the talking portraits, the house points, Dumbledore’s office, the Pensieve, the fat lady potrait, the sorting hat and much more before getting onto the ride which is a fantastic montage of lots of tasks and creatures encountered throughout the series. You feel like you’re on a broom getting attacked by the Whomping Willow, Aragog, Demontors and a dragon. You also get to fly over the castle and onto the quidditch pitch- it’s brilliant fun and very well executed. If you aren’t tall enough/pregnant/don’t want to ride, you can do a separate walking tour of the castle so that you don’t have to miss out on everything.

Ollivanders is designed to be an experience where you enter the wand shop and Ollivander will select a child and let them try out a few different wands to find the wand that chooses them. The experience is very cute and the attention to detail does not stop here. There are wand boxes stacked everywhere around you and they are covered with dust to recreate what you think Ollivanders really should be like. After the wand makes its choice, everyone enters Dervish and Banges where you can then view all the replica wands from the characters in the movie (Harry, Hermoine, Neville, Snape etc.) or you can give your birthday and they supply you with your own wand from that information.

There is definitely plenty to buy other than your own wand including robes, brooms, clothes, mugs, key rings and all the usual stuff. However, the majority of the merchandise is Hogwarts themed rather than character orientated presumably to make you feel that you are part of the school itself.

The most incredible part of the experience is its attention to detail. When you walk into the toilets, you can hear moaning Myrtle in every cubicle. Send a postcard home with a Hogsmeade post stamp on it and while you’re writing it, look up to see that you’re sitting in an owlery. The lockers are designed to be like a train station and even the ATM machine is themed.

The detail is everywhere. Everything inside the windows move, from the quidditch gear to the Howler which tells you off outside Dervish and Banges, a car that beeps when you walk by and a Monster book of Monsters that growls at you.

For a refreshment, you can grab a Butterbeer or a Pumpkin juice on the street in Hogsmeade.

Or pop into the three broomsticks for a magical dinner.

Or visit the Hog’s Head for a nice beverage.

They’ve got Zonkos with a few familiar products to buy.

And Honeydukes for Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and other lovely treats.

And yes, the Chocolate Frogs come with collectible cards- they’re holograms!

Even just hanging out in Hogsmeade is a lot of fun. In a survey send out to those that frequent the Universal Parks, Universal has been asking guests if they would re-visit Harry Potter if it doubled in size in the next twelve months. Plans seem to be in the works to expand the park and it looks like Harry Potter fans have much more to look forward to in the future.

So there you have it, it’s an amazing experience and a must-do for every big Harry Potter fan. Just comment below if you have any questions about the WWoHP.

Related Posts:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows



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