A couple years ago, my aunt and uncle took a trip to Florida, and while
they were there, they saw advertisements for the Wizarding World of
Harry Potter, which would be opening the following year. My aunt told me
that whenever they decided to go to Florida to check out this new park,
I was invited to go along. Just before my birthday this year, they
announced that we were going this spring, and it was an epic vacation
that included Universal and Disney World, as well as Sea World, a
drive-through safari, a renaissance fair and an airboat ride through a
swamp filled with alligators. But Harry was the one who propelled this
particular venture for my aunt and uncle, who, unlike me, are seasoned
travelers. We spent two days at Universal Studios, which was where the
Wizarding World of Harry Potter was located.
Universal is
divided into two parks. Our passes allowed us to visit both parks, but
on our first day, we ventured only into Islands of Adventure, which
includes several themed sections, of which the Harry Potter one is the
newest. We also returned to this part of the park our second time
through, after we had made our way through Universal's more
low-key park. Islands of Adventure is jam-packed with rides, attractions
and costumed characters, and you'll be hard-pressed to see
everything you want to in a single day.
As it happened, our
first day at Universal was St. Patrick's Day, and the park
seemed to be especially packed as a result. We just made our way through
in order of what was closest to the entrance, which meant that we
started out with the section focusing on classic comic book characters.
Marvel Super Hero Island included some pretty intense-looking rides; the
only one I went on was the Spider-man ride, which simulated a ride
through the city where we helped Spider-Man battle baddies and got
sprinkled with water or tinged with heat from fiery explosions. While we
were in this part of the park, we saw a parade of Marvel characters and
snapped a few pictures. A few of them came up onto the sidewalks and
posed for photos with guests.
While the Marvel world was fun, I
really loved Toon Lagoon, which was filled with nifty cut-out displays
of characters from comic strips ranging from Beetle Bailey to Family Circus.
We spent a fair bit of time here just snapping pictures of each other
next to or under the various displays. I loved the one with the cranky Shoe
editor muttering, "A good editor never sleeps," and I
got a kick out of the unaccompanied dialogue bubble just above head
level simply stating, "I feel like there is a cloud over my
head."
This part of the park included my two favorite
rides, aside from the thrilling Hogwarts Castle tour. Dudley Do-Wright,
the clueless Mountie, was the theme of the log flume, and we spent close
to two hours waiting for Dudley Do-Wright's Ripsaw Falls, after
which point we decided that the fast passes would be a good idea. The
wait wasn't bad, though, because the line was filled with quirky
announcements, Dudley Do-Wright cartoons and artwork. The ride itself
is a log flume ride rather like the Magic Kingdom's Splash
Mountain, and it tells a story using jumbo figures and dialogue and
narration coming out of the speakers nearby. The basic storyline has
Dudley clumsily saving the day from the nefarious Snidely Whiplash, with
the result that he is celebrated by the town but still rejected by the
girl of his dreams. The tale is entertaining, and the ride is tons of
fun for a hot day. I rode it three times over the course of two days,
and I got completely soaked each time - though the third time, I
rode it later in the day than I should have, with the result that I was
shivering all through dinner. You're best off getting this one
out of the way well before 5:00. Same goes for Popeye and
Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, which is comparable to the white water
rapids ride at Hersheypark. If the splash from going down a waterfall
doesn't get you, the downpour from waterfalls above you will.
Plus, you have the people up on the bridges paying to aim water at you.
There's no avoiding getting drenched on this ride, though
handily, there is a sealed plastic compartment in the middle in which to
store your belongings, and they'll stay pretty dry as long as
you put them in there. Like Ripsaw Falls, this includes several jumbo
figures from the cartoon scattered throughout the ride and combined with
dialogue from the speakers. It's very entertaining and
refreshing.
Another ride involving a circular raft is the
Jurassic Park River Adventure, the only ride I went on in that section
of the park. It starts out nice and mellow, almost like the Jungle
Cruise, and the gorgeous score from the movie augments the beauty of
those animatronic plant-eating dinosaurs. Then you leave the sunny
outdoor area and go inside, where it's dark and dire warnings
about malfunctions flash and blare. This part of the ride is creepy,
particularly the huge Tyrannosaurus Rex that lunges down upon you just
before you go down the ride's final hill. There's a bit
of a splash to this one, but it's nothing compared to the ones
in Ripsaw Falls and Bilgerat Barges, and you could probably ride this
one a little later in the day and not have to worry so much about
getting dry. Outside of the ride, there are a number of photo spots, and
we just enjoyed wandering through on our way to the wizards. The Lost
Continent is around here too, and we didn't spend much time
there at all the first day, but the second day we did the walk-through
show Poseidon's Fury, which had some really cool special
effects, not to mention a very enthusiastic human guide.
Seuss
Landing is designed mostly with kids in mind, so none of the rides are
that thrilling for adults, but this part of the park is incredibly
visually appealing. Everywhere you look is a statue of some Seuss
character, and the whole thing is eye-poppingly colorful. I took oodles
of pictures in this part of the park, and it's just a joy to
walk through. Whatever your favorite Seuss book is, you'll
probably find it here in some form or another. The carousel is a real
thing of beauty, populated as it is by all sorts of Seussish creatures,
and I love the display dedicated to the Lorax and the old Onceler. We
rode on the Cat in the Hat ride, which is an entertaining dark ride that
takes you through the events of the book, and the trolley ride, which
provides a little tour of all the Seussian attractions in the area. Kids
should love this park, along with adults who appreciate whimsy.
The
Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an amazing sight for any Rowling
fan. You get there, and it's like you have entered the wizarding
village of Hogsmeade, where Hogwarts students go for occasional field
trips. It's so compact that it's hard to really get a
feel for how it looks without standing in the middle of it. Shops tower
on all sides, some of them actually selling merchandise, others only
storefronts there just for show. While the Hogwarts Express does not
actually go anywhere, you can get your picture taken with the engine and
stroll through the station. This park has three rides, two of which I
went on, as the Dragon Challenge looked a little too twisty for me. The
Flight of the Hippogriff is short, but it's an exhilarating
little roller coaster, and I love the line for this ride because it
includes Hagrid's hut, and you get to hear his voice booming out
from the speaker. I was hoping that there would be a photo op spot with
Hagrid or a character walking around, but this little area is very
cool. I just wish that guests were able to actually go into the cabin.
The
park has no specific characters walking around, but it is filled with
witches and wizards serving as prefects. The main attraction of the park
is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, a mega-cool virtual tour of
Hogwarts. You can't use express passes on this one, and the line
is rather confusing. You're not allowed to bring loose articles
with you, unless you can manage to stash them in your clothing. I
didn't realize this until I got almost to the front of the line,
and I was told to go downstairs to stash my stuff in a locker, except
there wasn't a locker available. My aunt was waiting outside, so
she took my purse for me and I went back and managed to get back to
roughly where I had been in line before, and I ended up on the ride just
a few minutes after my cousin. Still, I think the line seemed a bit
disorganized. I loved looking at all of the displays inside the castle,
though. Talking portraits, desks of significant characters, the
Gryffindor common room... It was a definite feast for the eyes and
ears. The ride itself is a three-dimensional deal that combines
movement and physical displays with virtual ones. You'll get to
see several major points inside the castle and out. The idea is that
you're following Harry and Hermione on broomstick, and some of
the angles are pretty dizzying. I'll admit I walked off this one
feeling a little woozy, but it was worth it to get the sensation that I
was soaring over the Quidditch pitch or swooping through the Hogwarts
dungeons. Several characters from the movies make an appearance as well,
so this ride really is a lot of fun.
Also inside the castle is
the massive gift shop, Filch's Emporium, where you can buy
t-shirts, pillows, pins, action figures and all sorts of other
collectibles. One thing I didn't see there was a postcard rack;
there's a separate shop for that, and while we were there, they
rolled a small cart outside so that we could buy postcards from there as
well and have them stamped with the Hogsmeade postmark. Filch's
Emporium was the only shop we entered the first day; on the second
trip, we perused Zonko's joke shop and Honeyduke's candy
shop, both of which were feasts for the eyes. My park souvenirs
included a Hagrid pin and Harry's wand; while we didn't
brave the massive line at Ollivander's wand shop, a couple of
other places sold the wands as well, with styles modeled after the wands
of several major characters.
Of course, we also had to try some
butterbeer, the beloved beverage that so many Harry Potter fans have
longed to taste. Scattered throughout this portion of the park are
several butterbeer kiosks, and they draw quite a crowd as well. The
plastic souvenir mugs are both snazzy and practical, as you
won't have to worry much about them breaking while
you're wandering through the park. After the first one, though,
you can get it in disposable cups instead the mugs and pay less. The
drink itself is a sort of mix of cream soda with butterscotch foam, and
it's very refreshing on a hot Florida day. Pumpkin juice,
another prominent Harry Potter drink, is available too, but we
didn't try that, nor did we eat at the Three Broomsticks, the
park's restaurant. Just as the pair of Mickey Mouse ears was my
one essential purchase at Disney World, the butterbeer was my Must Buy
at Universal, and it was worth the anticipation. Speaking of souvenirs, I
highly recommend bringing a couple rolls of quarters and pennies so you
can use the pressed penny machines located at many points throughout
the park. These are very inexpensive but fun collectibles, and it can be
a sort of treasure hunt to track as many down as you can. I think I
returned from Florida with more than 30 from the different places we
went to, and I would have had more if I'd thought to bring
quarters ahead of time.
All in all, Universal's Islands
of Adventure is an amazing place to spend the day. It's crowded
and pricey, but the rides, characters, shops and general extravagance of
the themes presented in as much vibrant detail as possible make it a
thrilling stop for Harry Potter fans and fun-lovers of all ages.
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