Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Things to Know Before You Go

The first thing to know about your visit is that these two Harry Potter World attractions are in two separate parks. The newer additions, Escape from Gringott’s and Diagon Alley, are in Universal Studios Florida. Whereas Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle are inside Universal’s Islands of Adventure. This means you have to purchase both park entrance fees to enjoy the whole Harry Potter experience. The Hogwarts Express will take you between the two parks. There is a convenient Park-to-Park pass that grants access to both for around $170 per person.

Diagon Alley

Ollivander’s Wand shop

Purchase an interactive wand that will “perform spells” around the parks. There are certain places where you aim your wand, say the right spell, and water will shoot out of a fountain or a prop will move. I hate to be the one to burst the magic bubble, but it’s all controlled via some simple IR sensors.

We watched a few kids (and adults) test out their wands, and they seemed less than accurate. Perhaps these young witches and wizards weren’t up to snuff on their spells and didn’t pass their O.W.L.s. It took some people 4-5 tries to get the wands to work, so they seem to require some practice - like any real spell! If you know that you’re destined to be chosen by a 12 inch Willow with dragon core then don’t let me stop you. You may even want to purchase your wand in advance so you don’t have to wait in line, although that may be a fun part of the experience for the kiddos. There are 16 interactive wand sites in Diagon alley 

Ride Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Half the fun of these rides are the set decorations that lead up to getting on the ride. If you’ve ever been to a theme park you know you’ll be waiting in long lines, but the sets built around the line are rich with details. First you walk through the entire foyer of Gringott’s Bank complete with animatronic goblin bank tellers. You venture deeper into the vaults of Gringotts as you come to the ride where you sit in a large version of the mine cart you see in the movie. There are various stops along the track where they project CGI characters to move the story along and “help you escape.” This is not like a regular roller coaster that only goes forward. There is a lot of sideways motion on it. 

Quench your thirst with a butterbeer… or a muggle beer

You can find this sweet drink in frozen, cold, or hot varieties. If you’ve never tasted it before it’s like butterscotch meets cream soda.  Chose the signature mug and get a discounted price throughout both parks on your next drink. All butterbeers are non-alcoholic, but if you need a stiffer drink after braving the jostling Escape from Gringotts, there are alcoholic beers to find too; Wizard’s Brew, a porter and Dragon Scale, a lighter lager.

Shop through Diagon Alley

Before you head to Hogsmeade make sure to explore Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes for some magical toys. Buy your house robes at Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. Pick out your favorite animal companion at Magical Menagerie. Dabble in the dark arts at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. Pop in Honeydukes Candy Shop for some fizzing whizbees, and if you’re brave enough try a handful of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans - just don’t come crying to me when you get a vomit flavored one.

Hogwarts Express at King’s Cross Station

Queue up at King’s Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express. This short train ride takes you from one park to the next, it goes both directions. There are about 6 seats per car so if you’re traveling in a pair you’ll end up getting cozy with other Harry Potter fans. You cannot see through the windows of the train. Instead they project what look like shadows coming from the corridor of the train. They create the illusion that Harry, Hermione, and Ron are outside of your car finding yet another way to get into mischief. 

You will be charmed as you enter the winter scene at Hogsmeade. Music from the Yule Ball plays overhead and it’s almost enough to make you feel like you’re in a wintery English town even though you’re in Orlando and it’s probably 98 degrees with 90% humidity. 

Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle:

Use your interactive wand

There are 9 magical sites that you’ll find on the map that comes along with the purchase of your interactive wand. Each site is marked with a medallion on the ground. It indicates where to point your wand, what motion to make, and what incantation to speak.

Eat like a wizard

Enjoy a hearty meal of Shepard’s pie or fish ’n chips at the Three Broomsticks. Top it off with a delicious dessert of Butterbeer potted cream. The food is pretty good, but what you might enjoy more is sitting in the shade on a hot day. Be sure to look around the restaurant for all the little details and finishing touches that give it its rustic and authentic look.

Ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

The line to this ride weaves its way through recognizable parts Hogwarts Castle. Walk past Dumbledore’s office, go ahead and say, “sherbet lemon.” You’ll see the classroom shared by so many professors of dark arts, you’ll wander through the herbology garden, and say ‘ello to the sorting hat. Finally you come to the ride that places you in front of a CGI screen that simulates the idea that you’re flying on a broom around the grounds of the castle. 

Beware of the rides…

Both rides are different than traditional roller coasters. They are more built on the CGI effects that surround the story than that stomach dropping thrill of a roller coaster. These rides move you in many different directions with a lot of sideways motion and sometimes tip you backwards and upside down in your seat and therefore can wreak havoc on your inner ear. There are numerous warning signs posted that caution against the side affects of the rides. As people who love traditional roller coasters, we figured we’d be fine on these and ignored the warnings. While the rides were entertaining, we were left feeling very dizzy, and vertigo followed us for most of the day. If you’re concerned about the side affects you can chose to walk through the line to see all of the props throughout the castle and then opt out of the ride at the end of the line and exit instead. 

Suggested Itinerary

We visited in early May, and the lines moved pretty quickly. We never waited more than about 30 minutes for a ride, but I imagine during peak summer months there are many more muggles milling about. If you have the ability I’d recommend seeing both parks over two days, especially if you want to explore the rest of these massive parks outside of Harry Potter World.

If you only have one day, you can still see it all - assuming it’s not peak season - but brace yourself for a long day. We did it all in one day and took time to ride other rides throughout the parks. We ended up walking about 17,000 steps that day. If you do both in one day I’d recommend starting with Diagon Alley in Universal Studios in the morning, taking the train over to Islands of Adventure in the late afternoon, and finishing up the day at Hogsmeade and Hogwarts into the night. There are two reasons for the this: Islands of Adventure closes later in the day than Universal Studios, and once it gets dark there is a light show and fireworks over Hogwarts Castle every night. 

Start as early as you can and take butterbeer breaks to avoid meltdowns and tantrums - I say this as much for the adults as for the children. It truly is a magical place if you’re a Potter fan. So go practice your spells, don your house robes, and don’t give up the hope that maybe one day you’ll whisper alohomora to a locked door, and it will actually open.