The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Update
I decided to wander along to Islands of Adventure recently to see how things were going over at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Remember, it officially opened to amazing scenes from Potter fans on June 18, so I went along as I wanted to see how things were going.
And… I’m happy to report that it seems to be extremely popular…in fact, it’s still the busiest part of the Islands of Adventure theme park. I went on a relatively quiet day and still had to line up for the most popular attractions, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the interactive Ollivanders wand shop!
The lines for Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff weren’t too long but I’m not a fan of being thrown upside down and being scared out of your wits so I refrained from those rides and instead found more gentle pastimes..such as in the Hogs Head Pub!
For those that haven’t visited yet, the area is made up of several attractions as you wander through Hogsmeade Village. As has already been reported, the village really is a work of art with a great deal of attention to detail being displayed and it really does give you the feeling you are some place special.
As you wander through Hogsmeade you are enticed by the shops selling all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff. Places like Honeydukes Sweet Shop, Zonko’s joke shop, The Dervish and Banges magical instruments and equipment shop, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods and the Owl Post. You can get your picture taken by the Hogwart’s Express and just take in the unique atmosphere.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the signature attraction and is located inside Hogwarts Castle. On the way to the simply amazing rides, guests are maneuvered through scenes inspired by the Potter books and films.
Dragon Challenge, the world’s first dueling inverted roller coasters and previously known as Dueling Dragons before Potter came along and the Flight of the Hippogriff which is a Vekoma junior roller coaster, formerly known as the Flying Unicorn take care of those looking for a thrill ride.
As I already mentioned, Ollivanders, an interactive experience based on the Harry Potter location Ollivanders is simply a “must do” and it’s extremely well presented. A lot of fun!
I also stopped by “The Three Broomsticks Inn,” which is a restaurant serving typical British dishes and “The Hog’s Head Pub” where you can sip on spirits and drinks inspired by those in the Harry Potter stories. I tried the “butterbeer” for the first time… not sure I could drink too much mind! Find out why, try it for yourself on your next Orlando visit!
Here’s a video…
PS. Just recently we celebrated posting our 100th video …and this was supposed to have been it! However, it took a while to get here (2 weeks late!) and other stuff cropped up in between time. If you enjoy our videos do take the time to let us know and leave a comment or two. We’d love to hear from you.
