Hogwarts Express Hogsmeade Station

This picture was long overdue, but finally have the chance to put my noteworthy pic up while getting my car serviced. Had the most magical time at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando at Islands of Adventure a month after they opened! First thing I had to do was run through the crowd to get in line for the Butterbeer! Oh it was exactly what I thought, a better version of a rootbeer float. The combination of the syrup-​less carbonated drink w/​the sweet marshmallowy foam on top blended ever so heavenly together.

This is a great ride at Universal Studios. The visuals on the ride are exactly from Harry Potter. A must do at the park.

You need a park hopper to ride the train between parks. We had this but would have been disappointed if we didn’t. I can imagine people get up over this as I don’t think it’s clear enough that you need the hopper! Train malfunctioned and we waited 2 hours to ride. Loved how close it was to the original though and we rode it twice. The stations are also super well done!

I, like Ron W., am not much of a Harry Potter fan. My kids are just starting to watch the movies. The details are just amazing. The station itself is a bit stripped down but super authentic looking. The park to park train ride is short but fun. Expect a long wait.

If you purchase a park to park pass at Universal, you are able to ride the Hogwarts Express train from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley, which are located at two different parks. The line for us was about 25 minutes, so there is a wait time involved to get to the other park. When you get to the platform, they have a good process in place for boarding passengers. The train was a great replica from the movie, with the interior finishings very detailed. When you’re seated in your car, the window looking outisde will have some scenes from the movie, so some entertainment during your 5 minute ride to the other park. It was a fun ride over so enjoy!
Best,
Charlie

This is pretty cool and representative of what you would expect with platform 9 ¾. There is even on place where you can see people in the line walking through the brick wall, just like movie/​book. Very very cool effect they did. The only reason why I don’t give this a 5-​star, is because I really would like to get a photo of people in my party walking through the brick wall, but the way the line is setup you can’t really do so. The people walking through the brick wall are about 20 people ahead of you in the line. I wish they found a way for you to take pictures of this, because it really is a neat special effect. I think everyone would want a photo. Even if they setup another area with the special effect all by itself, just for photos. Or have one of the billion photographers around the park taking the photos as people walk through. I would pay for that photo (which might be the only one I would pay for).
The train itself, both on inside and outside make you feel like you are on your way to Hogwarts. It is a really great experience in its entirety.
You will need to the 2-​park pass to be able to take the Hogwarts Express, because it connects Universal Studios to Universal Islands of Adventure. If you get the 1-​park pass, you will be out of luck.
Be prepared to wait in line for this ride. Probably the longest wait of anything we encountered at the park.

Hogsmeade is amazing, but it’s missing all of the shops that can be found at Diagon Alley. We did Diagon Alley first, and Hogsmeade was kind of a let down. However, it does have an amazing Hogwarts replica, which can’t be missed.
There’s more rides here, but less shops. The rides are Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippograff, Dragon Challenge, and the Hogwarts Express (only if you have a park to park pass).
If you are a Harry Potter fan, you MUST do the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, even if the line is longer than 2 hours (like it was for us). I recommend doing it in the beginning of the day right when the park opens, so the lines aren’t as bad.
We went on a quest for Frozen Butterbeer here. We had regular butterbeer at Diagon Alley, and wanted to try frozen butterbeer. We wandered around for a good 10 minutes, and almost gave up thinking they only sold frozen butterbeer at Diagon Alley. Turns out frozen butterbeer can be found inside the restaurant (The Three Broomsticks) at the bar. I didn’t like frozen butterbeer as much regular butterbeer, but it was refreshing in the heat.

What annoyed me about this attraction is that Universal advertises it as a «cool» way to go back and forth between their two different parks. Conceptually this is a great idea until you find out that there is usually a minimum of a 45 minute wait to get on this train and that this is one of a couple attractions where even if you have purchased a fast pass it will not work. So, if there were no wait for this attraction I think that it would be a great way to get back and forth between the two Harry Potter Lands but because there is such a long wait i found the actual train ride to be a bit lame and annoying. Your time is spent better waiting for Harry Potter the Forbidden Journey since you can’t fast pass that either.

Any Harry Pottery fan must visit the wizarding world while in Orlando and Universal knows it. They essentially split Diagon Alley and one ride in the main theme park and Hogwarts with three additional rides in Island of Adventure which essentially requires you to purchase a hopper pass. The layout of the park from the shops to the staff is very convincing and I do enjoy the immersive experience. A few things where Universal missed the mark is the lack of readily accessible and easy to read map of just the Harry Potter exhibit, the lack of shade/​shelter and bathrooms. Things that are awesome: wonky looking employees in Harry Potter (muggle-​approved), butter beer, wands, and the Hogwarts Express!

As real as it gets in the wizarding world. I am so glad to have had the magical experience of walking around hogsmede. It is exactly how it is envisioned in the book and the movie with all the harry potter Décor all around. Just like Diagon Alley the Hogsmede section of the wizarding world has stores and restaurants set up for all the harry potter fans to explore. Outside the hogsmede train station, you can see a life sized pop out of the Hogwarts Express, so be prepared to bring out those cameras and snap to you frendzz. If you want to dine in Harry potter spirit check out the three broomsticks in which they serve a variety food throughout the day ranging from ribs to salmon fillet.
If you have time… feel free to line up for the Olliwander’s wand shop to have the chosen wand experience in where people can get their wands chosen for them. Note: there is always an constant line and is a slow experience so you have to be patient. Also, performances throughout the day that are notable include the frog choir and triwizard tournament!
If you have a interactive wand. There are 9 different spots among hogsmede that you can perform your tricks, most of them in front of stores on the main strip. In terms of the hogwarts castle and the forbidden journey ride, it samples a very precise narration of the Harry Potter experience and is a great ride for all the potter fans! The dragon challenge is a little something more thrill for the bigger kids in which there are two different routes on the coaster you can experience. There’s also another smaller coaster than I didn’t get to try on because of long waits that looks like a shrunk down version of the dragon tail which also seems to be popular! Don’t forget to grab your cup of butter beer around the strip as frozen butter beer seems best recommended!
If you want to top it off with something to remember on the way home, I suggest those cool scarves for the different houses are great souvenirs as well! Very excited for the LA opening and I hope the hogsmede there will resemble a similar, if not better experience! ⁵⁄₅ potter points!

The Hogsmeade station was quite magical as was all of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. There is a winding dirt path that you follow out of the station with trees surrounding both sides. It makes you feel like you’re stepping out of a forest, and the Harry Potter theme music playing makes you certain that Hagrid is not far off and you can almost taste the pumpkin juice you’ll be having at the feast.
My first time entering Hogsmeade was from the station, just as if I was really on my way to Hogwarts. You then turn the corner into Hogsmead and travel through the town to get to the base of the castle.
Overall the station was perfect and I definitely think if your visiting for the first time you should start on the Kings Cross side and then come to Hogsmeade. If the line’s not too bad, take the train back to King’s Cross to see a different show outside the train’s window and in its halls.

Holy effin WOW…
I am already planning my trip back, and it’ll only include Universal!!!
This was truly the best place ever

I would estimate we rode the Hogwarts Express like four times in three days (if not more). It was a truly fun experience and you must ride it from Hogsmeade and from Diagon Alley. There isn’t much to it, but worth it for Harry Potter fans because you get to feel like you are going to the magical worlds of HP.
I am a big fan of Harry Potter so this was the primary reason for the trip to Orlando. I definitely recommend downloading the Universal app to check on wait times for this ride. It isn’t super impressive but it will definitely light up kids eyes in a wonderful way.
The first day we were here (on a Monday), the wait time was longer like 30 minutes. The second day, we were able to catch the Hogwarts Express with a 5 – 10 minute wait time. So definitely try to catch it while the wait time is lower.
Overall, I really enjoyed this aspect of the park. I wish it didn’t force you to purchase a Park-​to-​Park ticket because it does raise the expenses quite a lot and I’m always traveling on the budget. But in the long run, I felt like it was worth it.

I love Universal Orlando. This company has done a wonderful job on Harry Potter experience. Everything this is so detailed its looks exactly like the movie. In Diagon Alley they have all of the shops where you can buy all of your Harry Potter paraphernalia and have the wand experience. Also in Diagon Alley is Gringotts bank and ride. On the other side is Hogsmead where Hogwarts school is and other shops. Visiting Universal you must do both parks and Harry Potter experiences. Take the Hogwarts Express between the two. Things you must purchase Wand, cape, and frozen butter beer.

THE MECCA LAND OF HARRY POTTER FANATICS! I finally traveled long and far to the exotic land of Florida, all for the hope to glimpse the walls that surround the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Lucky me, I was able to fork over $ 300 for two base two-​day tickets for my husband and I. What’s $ 300 when you can experience the magical world of Harry Potter in real life? Money means nothing (until you want to buy souvenirs, but that’s another story).
I came in November and it was a great time to visit. Not only was the weather wonderful – no rain and not humid – but there was hardly a wait. Every ride was practically a walk-​on. Occasionally, there would be a 20 – 30 minute wait during peak hours but that was the longest wait I experienced.
There are two parks: Hogsmeade (in Islands of Advenure) and Diagon Alley (in Universal Studios). Smart of them because, duh, I’ll shell out as much money as I need to in order to visit both parks. Here are the perks.
HOGSMEADE:
Hogsmeade had more rides but is a little bit smaller than Diagon Alley. There are also less places to do magic with your interactive wand. Butterbeer can be ordered in Hog’s Head or in the two carts they have in the streets.
–Three rides: 1) Forbidden Journey through Hogwarts, 2) Dragons Challenge, and 3) Flight of the Hippogriff.
Loved Journey through Hogwarts. Can’t believe I’m saying this but I wish the wait in this line was longer because you walk through different Hogwarts rooms. They did such a good job with Dumbledore’s office, and the room with all the moving paintings.
–Three Broomsticks: Ate here for dinner the second night. Food was good but I still liked the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley more.
–Hog’s Head: Come here for a drink or order some butterbeer!
–Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom
DIAGON ALLEY:
Diagon Alley has one ride but lots of shops. This if more of the place to walk around and try out different spells.
–One ride: Escape from Gringotts. I think this one is my favorite ride out of both parks.
–Ollivanders & Gregorovitch: it’s worth it to go inside Ollivanders, but if you’re feeling a little claustrophobic, there’s a little shop (Gregorovitch) that has the more popular wands that you can buy.
–Knockturn Alley: do more spells, visit more shops, get creeped out by how dark and creepy it is, then be amazed by how well they modeled it after the book
–Leaky Cauldron: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the food and atmosphere. There was no line when we came for dinner and finding seating was easy.
Overall, Harry Potter world is a great experience. I spent money on an interactive wand because if I’m stuck being a muggle, by golly I will spend $ 50+ on a wand that will make me feel like I’m actually doing magic. I spent money on LOTS of butterbeer (try all three! Cold, frozen, hot), I spent money on Harry Potter clothes, I spent money on Harry Potter food, I spent money on anything and everything that made me feel closer to being a wizard. Anyways, bring lots of money because you will want to throw it at Universal Studios for doing such a great job.

All you Muggles out there, you must visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Being a die hard HP fan, this lived up to my expectations. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are two completely different sections at two different theme parks. Both have different store mock ups, gift shops, restaurants, rides and interactive wand stations. Want to travel to both area in one day? Easy, take the Hogwarts Express which requires a park to park pass.
PROS:
Hogsmeade: Just like what you would imagine from the books and movies. This was mainly a collection of store mock ups with two real stores (Ollivanders and a gift shop). The Three Broomsticks is a restaurant in this area (the outside and inside looks exactly like the movie). A bit past Hogsmeade lies the iconic Hogwarts castle. There are a couple of areas to purchase a nice cold frozen Butter Beer. There are also some interactive wand station but not as many as Diagon Alley.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: This was my favorite ride from all the theme parks! The queue for the ride enters through the base of Hogwarts. Step inside the castle, walk through the dungeons and Dumbledore’s office before being seated on the journey. The ride takes you through scenes from different areas around Hogwarts. There, you will get in close with dark creatures throughout the series such as the Womping Willow, Dementors, Aragog, the dragon, etc. This ride is not for those who get motion sickness easily.
Ollivanders: This is a quick 5 – 10 minute show demonstrating how one picks their wand (or better yet, how the wand chooses them). This small little shop can fit about 15 – 20 people. One or two people will get picked from the crowd to participate in this interaction. Two years ago, I got chosen. This year, I got chosen again. Got lucky twice! Maybe because I was wearing a homemade HP shirt both times? It was a great experience! The presenter really gets into character.
Rides: Flight of the Hippogriff: Family friendly roller coaster. Dragon Challenge: Many loops and drops.
Diagon Alley: This hidden gem is more than an Alleyway. It’s a magical little town is tucked behind the red brick walls next to the Hogwarts Express Station. As you enter, look ahead and up and you will see the dragon on top of Gringotts Bank. There are many more shops than Hogsmeade including the Wesley’s joke shop, Borgin and Burkes, Ollivanders, etc. The menu at the Leaky Cauldron is similar to one at The Three Broomsticks. There are also many more interactive wand stations as well.
Escape from Gringotts: This is their only ride. The ride itself is not as creative as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey but queue was amazing and so lifelike. As you enter the bank, you will immediately notice the goblins working on the side. This is a 3D simulation roller coaster ride with a quick semi small drop at the beginning. Similar to the Transformer ride.
*Lockers are provided for your belongings. Make sure you don’t have anything with you. I saw a couple of people that still had their purse with them right before they were seated for the ride. They were of course sent back to place their personal items in the lockers.*
CONS:
Price: Like every other part of the theme park, everything was overpriced. The interactive wands were $ 50 each (it comes with a map showing all the interactive wand areas). The collectables were $ 30. They sell many other merchandise and collectables through the different shops.
Crowd: Extremely crowded. Both the main rides require long waits (can be up to an hour).
On the bright side: Be a tourist, come experience what this magical land has to offer, take many pictures and drink a Butterbeer!

I was super excited to come to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was the main reason why I wanted to come to Universal Studios. There is a Harry Potter section in each of the park of Universal Studios, so in order to see both worlds, you will need to buy a park hopper for BOTH Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
The Islands of Adventure section of Harry Potter is modelled after Hogsmeade and has Hogsworth castle as their main attraction. There is a ride, «Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey» that takes you through the castle. Waiting in line is pretty cool because it takes you through each of the different classrooms. If you don’t want to wait in a too long of a line, I would suggest going through the single rider line. You might be separated from your party, but the line is WAY shorter. (The wait time was about 40 minutes for the regular line and I was able to get through in 10 minutes using single rider). There is a locker at the beginning, so you can store all of your stuff. Outside of this ride, there is a few other roller coaster type rides, but I think that «Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey» was my favorite ride. There is also TONS of stores with cool stuff that you can spend your money on.
If you have the park hopper option, you can ride on Hogswarth Express to go to the Universal Studios location of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Be prepared to show your ticket before you ride the train. The Universal side is modeled after Diagon Alley. Their main ride is «Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts». I think I liked the «Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey» better because this ride felt more like movie that they played for you while you sit in a car. Of course, there was TONS of shops here also.
Overall, I think this was a fun experience. However, I was a little disappointed at how small the area was. I sort of was expecting a full theme park of Harry Potter related things. But, these were just parts of Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios (like Fantasyland at Disneyland). I was able to go through both Harry Potter worlds in a few hours. I think this is fun to experience one time, but not sure if it is worth the money to go back unless they expand. But, I am still giving it 4 stars because for a few hours one day, it was like I was part of Harry Potter world.

This really is a magical place and a must-​see for all Harry Potter fans. The rides are incredibly detailed and fun, I just found them fantastic — even the queues were entertaining as there is lots to see! The cafes and shops are great too and really have been well made so that you feel like you really are part of the wizarding world. Truly magical!

This place is amazing. It’s pretty much as if the words from the Harry Potter books floated off the pages and created this place as a result. You feel like you are walking through a Harry Potter book.
We started off at Hogsmeade where we took in the Forbidden Journey ride. The highlight for me was actually waiting in line… there is so much to see while you’re walking through the castle that you never run out of places to look! The ride was one of those motion simulated ones with once again. so much to take in.
We then took the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley… this is not to be missed! Such a neat experience making it feel like you are actually taking the train to Hogwarts!
There is oh so much to do at Diagon Alley. I personally liked the Gringott’s ride better than the Forbidden Journey one.
Some tips (and Easter eggs):
— Go to money exchange and ask the goblin a question. You might be surprised by his answers!
— When you exit Diagon Alley check out the first window on top of 12 Grimauld Place. You’ll see Kreacher peaking out every so often!
— Walk behind the Knight bus to take a peak inside
— Instead of the classic butterbeer dry the frozen version or the ice cream. The ice cream is AMAZING.
— check out the bathroom to hear Moaning Myrtle
So after we walked around Diagon Alley, we did all the Universal Studios attractions. We then went back to Hogsmeade for dinner at Three Broomsticks (would definitely recommend) and then checked out the Triwizard tournament show
Right now is low season so we didn’t wait more than 20 minutes for any ride. Islands of Adventure (where Hogsmeade is located) closed at 8 pm whereas Universal Studios (Diagon Alley) closed at 5 pm because of Halloween Horror Nights. We got there around 9:30 AM and had time to explore all 4 parks.
Definitely start at the Wizarding World of HP though because it was may more packed when we returned towards the end of the day as opposed to early in the morning.

The holy grail of any Harry Potter fan. Now that Diagon Alley has opened and essentially doubled the Harry Potter goodness in Universal Studios, definitely worth a trip to come down here and experience it in person. Even though there’s a separate Unilocal entry for Diagon Alley and the rides I’ll cover all of it here.
First like many others have said, the earlier you come the less crowd you have to contend with obviously. Both of the Harry Potter destinations were our first pick right when we enter the park before 9am. I would recommend you get to the parking lot around 8:30ish since both are located toward the end of the park and takes a bit of walking (~10min) Normally they start letting people in before 9 I think around 8:45. If you do it right and come at a off peak season you’ll definitely have a lot better experience to fully explore every nook and cranny since the wait really can be minutes instead of hours. Some spoilers below of what you’ll find in the attractions.
Hogsmead/​Hogwarts Castle (Islands of Adventure)
— Forbidden Journey — Pretty much most people’s top pick when they first enter the area and I would definitely agree. Forbidden Journey’s wait time varies quite a bit when the weather’s bad outside so the earlier you come the better. The wait through the lines is probably the most interesting ride I’ve seen while in Universal. Very detailed and lots of characters and artifacts from the movies you’ll be going «oh that’s so and so!»
— Flight of the Hippogriff — Rethemed from Flying Unicorn so not a complete new ride built from scratch unlike Forbidden Journey. Pretty laidback coaster ride geared toward kids, during the wait you get to listen to Hagrids recorded voice over speakers on ride instructions :)
— Dragons Challenge — Formerly Dueling Dragons, its actually two separate coaster tracks that I didn’t know till later. We rode the Horntail track while it was fun I think if you’re a roller coaster fan Hulk or Rip Ride Rockit are better choices. However going through the lines was a fun experience as it takes you through the first challenge of the Triwizard cups and you actually get to see a glowing Triwizard Cup half way through the lines
In additional to the three main attractions you’ll be able to find many shops including Olivanders Wand shop where they have a live reenactment much like from the first movie when Harry was fitted with his first wand. My personal favourite is Dervish and Banges as they have so many little souvenirs and gadgets from the book and movie universe. The wands shop definitely is worth a visit as you get to see all the detailed design of each character’s wands for sale. We didn’t get to see the Trizward Rally show unfortunately as the weather turned bad in the afternoon. But the Frog Choir music was quite interesting indeed. A good 15 minute break while you’re exploring within in Hogsmeade
One thing we didn’t find out until too late was that you can actually mail post cards at the Owls Post in Hogsmeade to get an unique stamp on it. A cool little detail that even I’ve missed with previous research before coming here just to show you there’s so much to do here.
Diagon Alley (Universal Studios)
— Escape from Gringotts — The only ride attraction within Diagon Alley. Its a bit more exhilarating than Forbidden Journey as it has actual indoor coaster tracks set in the events of Death Hallows with recorded footages just for the ride. I thought the wait experience wasn’t as exciting as Hogwarts but I really like the lobby of the bank. Also if you come back for ride again the single riders line is better designed where you skip most of the lobby and elevator rides to get to the coaster (mine carts) quicker.
Diagon Alley being the newer of the two Potter lands, is larger and filled with more shops and interactive spells. My personal favorite was going through Knockturn alley and the shop Borgins and Burkes as they seem to be less visited and therefore more secretive. They have the Vanishing Cabinets where you actually hear bird noises recorded from inside and the chest where Mad Eye was captured in that it would shake every so often. Much like rest of the Potter world its practically full of Easter Eggs for you to explore like Moaning Mertle in the bathrooms and Kreacher peeking out of the curtains.
The two shows in the open area was quite fun as well with music and dances and the retelling of the Three Brothers’ story with some amazing special effects. I think even if you don’t get the interactive wands there are so many people casting spells you will be able to experience them just observing the crowds.
We didn’t opt for park to park tickets and skipped out on Hogswart Express. I think if you only have a day in Universal then definitely take advantage of the Park to Park ticket for the train ride but if you were like me here for 3 days, single park tickets is well more than enough to see both Harry Potter areas quite extensively. Quite an amazing experience!

The fright the dementor in the train gave me left me a little unsteady. I kept looking out at the window to entertain myself with the scenery and saw Hagrid in his motorcycle with the side car. Yes, the very same motorcycle he used to bring baby Harry to his temporary home in Number Four Privet Drive. From afar, Hogwarts started to materialize and I knew that I was close. «Hogsmeade Station,» the sign reads and I can barely contain my excitement.
As I exited Hogwarts Express and headed off to Hogsmeade, I remembered a conversation between Dumbledore and Snape regarding Snape’s deep affection for Lily:
«After all this time?»
«Always,» said Snape.
It’s true, I have and will forever be a Potterhead — Always. I have made this journey before when the Wizarding World first opened but it was even more exciting to go through the journey from Diagon Alley to the King’s Cross station and on-​board the Hogwarts Express. Of course, the Forbidden Journey is a must to any fan or non-​fan. From riding in a broomstick with Harry while he plays Quidditch, chasing the golden snitch, to the bone-​chilling encounter with a dementor, fire-​breathing dragon, and even some spiders from the Forbidden forest. It really is such a terrific experience for the sense!
While you are headed to the direction of Hogwarts, check to see if the Triwizard Rally is going on. You may be lucky enough to watch and cheer for some possible Triwizard champions from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the proud sons of Drumstrang (shows are every half an hour; pictorial with the cast shortly after if you would like). If you did happen to miss it though, don’t fret. Just stick around a little longer and enjoy the Frog chorus which takes place at the very same stage. Members of the chorus group consist of students from the 4 different houses and 2 frogs. Trust me, they are quite entertaining to watch and not to mention, they do harmonize quite wonderfully.
There are so many different shops in Hogsmeade as well as the famous Three Broomsticks. If you haven’t eaten yet, it is always lovely grabbing lunch here while you enjoy the scenery inside. They do have outdoor seating as well but it isn’t as fun as inside. Right next to the Three Broomsticks is the Hog’s Head where you can grab not only a mug of butterbeer but beer — the kind your muggle friends talk about!
Overall, the village of Hogsmeade is so wonderfully recreated that I really would love to live here. They did a terrific job with Hogwarts castle and it is truly a masterpiece for fans of all ages to enjoy. I cannot wait until I come back and play pretend again!

CAN I LIVE HERE?! I’ve been here twice and sobbed hysterical happy tears both times. I haven’t been since Diagon Alley was added (I’ve been begging my boyfriend nonstop since it opened, he’ll crack soon).
All the shops are a dream come true, I bought one of pretty much everything in Honeydukes. The Butterbeer is amaaaaaaaazing, I prefer it frozen though.
This place is a must for any Harry Potter fan, I don’t think I could ever get sick of visiting here.

It was so cool! I have actually been to the Harry Potter scene in London, and they have everything set up exactly the same as in J.K.Rowling’s book, so I would put high water mark on the one in Orlando. It did not let me down.
Visiting the park at night was absolutely the best decision we have made, as the waiting time was literally zero, though it was being labeled outside as either 10 or 20 minutes. Fortunate as us, we have finished all the rides before park was closed at 10pm.
Before leaving, we got the lemonade flush, which was absolutely the best drink to kill the heat!

A must for Harry Potter fans! The Harry Potter rides and villages in both parks are so realistic and you’ll definitely want to visit each one. If you have early park access you get to visit one hour before the park opens to the public and enjoy the rides and shops at your leisure.
Need a wand? Don’t just buy one off the shelf, visit Ollivander’s to have a wand choose you. Buy a chocolate frog at Honeyduke’s and wash it down with an ice cold butter beer. Be sure to visit the photo place to have your own moving picture made. There are rides, shops, gifts, and food. Everything a wizard needs to fight off evil.

This place is my dream come true. You truly believe that magic and wizards are real while spending time at this park. Almost every character, place and detail from the books and movies is brought to life in this park. I give so much credit to the people who planned, designed and created the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
First of all, you must visit Hogwarts. The castle is absolutely magnificent. There is a thrill ride inside of the castle that is a MUST! Even the line is fun because there is so much to see along the way. You get to tour Hogwarts while waiting in line. There are talking pictures on the wall. You also get to speak with the sorting hat. You get to fly through the Hogwarts grounds and the Forbidden Forest. The technology is unreal. The ride itself is very exciting. There’s lots of bumps and spins. It would definitely bother someone with motion sickness.
My second favorite ride is the Escape from Gringotts Adventure. This is a thrill ride through Gringotts Bank. Again, waiting in line is no problem because the line is full of things to see. There are goblins working at the bank as you wait. They are so lifelike, it’s insane. I swear that one was watching me.
You must also be sure to visit all of the shops in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. There is a Higwarts Express train that will take you back and forth between the two. The train itself is a fun ride. It’s just like the movie. My favorite shops to visit are: Ollivanders (you must buy a wand), Weasleys Joke Shop, Honeydukes (tons of candy from the books), and the Three Broomsticks. The Three Broomsticks is a delicious English themed restaurant. I always get the fish & chips and a frozen Butterbeer.

This is my 100^th review. And what better way to celebrate, than to write about one of my favorite places in the entire world?
That’s right, Harry Potter Land cracked open my heart and made me shed the happiest tears of all. I was happier than a camel on a Wednesday, happier than a cow at Chick Fil-​A, happier than my sister at a baking convention (and trust me – that’s happy).
You DEFINITELY have to get the park hopper and check out both parks. So plan on at least a two day trip to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. I promise it will be worth every galleon you spend.
Hogsmeade first. If you can be the first one in the park (by staying at a hotel on Universal’s Lot, you can have «early entry»), BE THE FIRST IN LINE. I mean, you might as well make it bloody worth it.
Fly to the castle and go on that ride first, if you aren’t the first in line, you will be waiting for 70+ min – and that’s absolutely zero fun when you have so much to do (I promise though, if you do exactly as I say, you’ll have time to go back and see the sights). After you get off, swoop over to the Dragon Challenge – it will literally be a 5 minute wait because everyone is flocking to the castle (but again, only if you’re the first in line).
Ride that twice, because, well there are two coasters. Ride the red one first (that’s probably the Swedish Shortsnout – even though they say that one is crazier, I liked the other one better), then walk out and hit up the «re-​ride line». Hop on the blue coaster (now THAT has got to be the Hungarian Horntail, just saying) and have the time of your life.
By now the park will be pretty packed. You can go over to Hagrid’s Hut and ride the Hippogriff ride. Eh, we waited about 30 minutes for a 30 second kiddie roller coaster, but it was fun to take our time and look around a little.
By now, if you’re timing it right, it’ll be about 10:00. This is a perfect time to hop on the one and only Hogwarts Express and ride over to Universal.
Enjoy your ride over, but DON’T go to Diagon Alley yet. Go to the rest of Universal – check out the Mummy, Transformers, etc. Then around 4:00 ride the Hogwarts Express back to Hogsmeade, it is different than when you came over, and I know what you’re thinking «What about Diagon Alley? What about more happiness?» Well, that’ll be for day two – we have to spread it out or else I’m pretty sure you’d die from your senses being overloaded, and I don’t think your body will be used to being that happy anyways. So we’ve gotta ease into it.
Once you get back to Hogsmeade, be a TOTAL tourist. Go to the Three Broomsticks and get some food and buy some frozen Butterbeer. Pick up your food and go out the back doors on the patio, you’ll have some shade and a perfect view of the castle.
There are different shows going on, so be sure to figure out what times they are showing and watch them all! After that, check out the wand shop, the candy shop (Berty Bott’s Every Flavor of Jelly Bean, anyone? Warning: Rotten Egg is disgusting – so give it to a Slytherin).
Another Warning: There will be both children and grown ups flailing wands about and flocking around in cloaks and other Potter paraphernalia. If you’re willing to drop $ 50 on a wand, you’ll get an interactive one that does magic – only in the park, however, – but it’s still fun to watch these homies enjoy some magic. I don’t know what the heck they’re going to do with that thing after they leave and go back to reality, but as long as they don’t crack it in half like Harry did with the Elder Wand, I’m fine with adults casting spells.
Watch out though, I was the victim of one of these spells and got water sprayed all over me.
They’re usually open until about 8 or 9 at night – even the workers don’t know what time the park closes until they get there that morning – so get that figured out and stay until you’ve outstayed your welcome. Go to bed and come back tomorrow.
(Go read my Unilocal review on Diagon Alley, if you want Day Two).
TIPS & TRICKS:
* The Butterbeer carts around the park will be so crowded; but, you can get those beverages in the restaurant, so bypass that line and snag a drink there.
* Listen to Moaning Myrtle in the women’s restroom.

I always knew I wasn’t a Muggle.
Words escape me to describe the level of magic that Universal has achieved here. It was everything I dreamed of and more. I started reading Harry Potter way back when the very first book came out, and spent the next several years pining for the next book, the next, all the way till the end. Seeing the world that you had only seen in movies, pictured in your own mind is simply amazing.
I had to remind myself several times while here that I’m actually a grown up. Being here, seeing all of the detail and thought that went into this totally brought out my inner child and I found myself skipping around waving my wand and looking for the next great spell (no really, you can do those. Check out the wand shops) to do.
You can eat all the stuff Harry and his pals ate, wear robes like theirs, guzzle butter beer like it’s going out of style, ride the Hogwart’s Express, Escape from Gringotts, feel the breath of the Gringotts Dragon, get spit on by a mermaid… everything that’s awesome, that you only wished could happen in real life when you read the books or saw the movies.
Phenomenal job, Universal. This place is wondrous!