This past summer, I went to Harry Potter World for the first time with my boyfriend, Tom. He is a huge Harry Potter nerd, and we decided to explore the hype of Harry Potter World in Orlando, Fla. We read our books this past summer to prepare for this journey. During the down time before we reached the Wizarding World, we watched the movies to refresh our minds. I honestly felt like I was a character in J.K Rowling’s books because of how realistic everything was. This was a trip in the (Harry Potter) books, for sure. Here are some magical moments.
10. Robes
Not just little kids were wearing robes and costumes, but adults were as well. Almost the whole park was into the scene, and nobody was judging other people. The atmosphere set the tone for the rest of the day in Hogwarts.
9. Escape from Gringotts
This interactive ride was one of the first we went on. It did not disappoint. The ride took us on an adventure through Gringotts Bank, and we flew past characters including Bill Weasley, the goblin and He Who Must Not Be Named.
8. The Knight Bus
The big, purple bus was the perfect place to take a photo in front of. The talking head on the outside of the bus talked right to me, and the conductor cracked a few jokes. The Knight Bus drew a crowd in and people peaked inside to see what it was like.
7. Ollivanders
Ollivanders was packed with wands on wands. The walls were covered in shelving and there were crowds of people picking their wands. Tom picked out the Death Eater’s wand, and I picked out Hermione’s wand. We squeezed between families to get to the line, and used our wands throughout the park.
6. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Another ride in the park was adventuring through the castle in Hogwarts. We walked past Dumbledore’s office, the talking paintings on the wall and sat down to explore the interactive ride, which acted as a tour. On the screen, we saw a quidditch game and even He Who Must Not be Named made an appearance.
5. Hogsmeade
Hogsmeade looked exactly like what you see in the movies with storefronts including: Honeydukes Sweetshop, The Three Broomsticks, The Hog’s Head, Dervish & Banges, Gladrags Wizardwear and more.
4. Diagon Alley
We walked past King’s Cross Station into the secret entrance into Diagon Alley which opened up the magic in the park. The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley had the best pancake breakfast with sausage, croissants and butterbeer. The shops were magnificent.
3. Interactive Wands
In both parks, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, there are a bunch of places to flick your wand around. It worked when you stood in a specific place, on top of a golden symbol on the ground. We waved the wands around to let water pour out of an umbrella. If you flashed your wand in front of some storefronts, chocolate frogs would open and more interactive elements made for a sweet surprise.
2. Butterbeer
Wow. This drink is beyond sweet, and so tasty on a hot summer day. It comes in regular flavor or in a frozen version. We had about three butterbeers in one day. Also, we tried the butterbeer ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour.
1. The Hogwarts Express
The Hogwarts Express picked us up at Platform 9 and ¾. The train acted as transportation between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. The windows had a screen with a scenic background, and the voices of Harry, Hermione and Ron were featured inside the car.