My childhood dreams finally came true when I was able to step into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. Step into the magical realm with me as I share some tips and a detailed itinerary of how to explore every nook and cranny in under six hours.
To beat the weekend crowd, we played hookie and went on a Monday.
Tickets are cheaper on weekdays too, but not in the upcoming summer months. Since we bought our tickets online,
we had the option of entering the park at 8AM instead of the regular
opening time at 9AM. However, it was hard to get our sleepy butts out of
bed that morning so we made it at 9AM anyway.
9:00 AM: Our first sighting of Hogsmeade! Once you enter the park just keep walking straight until you see the entrance to Hogsmeade on the right. I'd say it took us a little under 5 minutes from the park entrance but we were speed walking because we were so excited. We admired but passed all the stores, Platform 9 and 3/4, and even the Butterbeer carts. Save that for your walk out. The two rides are both in the back so it's more time efficient to start at the end and make your way back up towards the entrance.
Tip: This is not actually an entrance. The line for the show is in the alley before this if you are walking towards the back.
9:10 AM: After staring in awe at our surroundings, we quickly snapped out of our daze and set out to find Ollivanders Wand Shop. The wand shop is on the left and the line to watch the wand fitting show starts in an alleyway before the actual store front. We waited for about 40 minutes, then another 5 minutes in a waiting room piled high with wands (first picture) for the show. Later we found out that if you want to skip the show you can line up just to buy the wand outside of Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment. The show was entertaining but I would not watch it again and I personally don't think it was worth the long wait. Another option is the wand cart (bottom right picture) at the back of the park next to The Flight of the Hippogriff. What the cart offers that the actual shop doesn’t is an overview of all the wands. In the store, as you can see in the third photo above, the bookshelves are arranged by names of characters and it shows an example of the wand. Because of this and how packed the tiny store gets, it makes it really hard to see all your choices. At the cart, there are less people and all your options are laid out for you. If you decide to get a wand, there are two choices: interactive or non-interactive. We didn’t see the point in getting just a stick so we chose two interactive wands. With the interactive wands, you can actually go around and cast spells! They’re just $10 more than the non-interactive ones so I think they’re worth it. More about that later. The show was about 10 minutes and we spent another 30 minutes in the store searching for our perfect wands and checking out. I can't recall the exact cost of the interactive wands but they're about $50 a piece. We left with Luna Lovegood's tulip inspired wand and Professor Snape's wand to honor Alan Rickman.
Total time spent at Ollivander’s: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Total time spent at Ollivander’s: 1 hour and 25 minutes
10:35 AM: When we left the wand shop we realized we had already passed through a few "stores". There are a lot of storefronts but not all of them are actual stores, so we ended up already near the end of the park. We kept walking towards the back to Hogwarts, where the ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is located. The line was very short when we joined in and it took us less than 10 minutes to make it into Hogwarts. Once in, we were very confused because we were led into a locker room and they were telling all of us to put our belongings into a locker. I think they were only allowing people with small side bags or fanny packs onto the ride with their belongings. Thankfully the lockers are free for the first three hours. We had a medium sized backpack and it fit in perfectly. After we got that figured out we went deeper into Hogwarts where the rest of the line continued. It really didn’t feel like a line but more like an attraction in itself since there were so many things to see inside. Among some of the things were talking portraits, classrooms, and the entrance to Dumbledore’s office. The walk took about 20 minutes, including time spent taking pictures. Where the ride began, there was a room for families to wait with their children since there is a height limit. The room was quite packed with a lot of dads and their babies. The beginning of the ride really reminded me of The Haunted House at Disneyland, with the moving platform and dimly lit interior. It was quite beautifully decorated with the illuminated floating candles that you see in the movies. When you walk onto the platform you have to quickly sit in rollercoaster type seats and pull down a strap that holds you down. You are also given 3D glasses for the ride. The idea of the ride is that you’re on a broomstick and you encounter all these obstacles. Most of the ride is in front of a 3D screen but other times you’re facing some pretty scary creatures. I admit to closing my eyes during those parts. I would definitely say that this ride is not for little kids. I really did not enjoy this ride because we got so nauseous afterwards. As we got off we heard a bunch of other people groaning too. You get thrown around a lot and really fast and at one point they almost tip you upside down. When we got out we had to sit on a bench and get some fresh air before we could move on to The Flight of the Hippogriff. It was near that area where we saw the wand cart. Once again, I really recommend going straight to this ride once you enter the park because by noon the line had tripled.
Total time spent at and recovering from Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: 1 hour
11:35 AM: After some sitting and deep breathing, we were ready to tackle on the next and last ride - The Flight of the Hippogriff. The wait was 10 minutes and the ride was 10 seconds...Just kidding, the ride was about 30 seconds. I would not wait longer than 15 minutes for this very family friendly "roller coaster." It was cool though to see Hagrid's hut and Buckbeak. If the ride were a bit longer it would be a lot of fun, but there just isn't enough space at Universal Studios for all the Harry Potter greatness.
Total time spent at The Flight of the Hippogriff: 10 minutes and 30 seconds
Total time spent at and recovering from Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: 1 hour
Total time spent at The Flight of the Hippogriff: 10 minutes and 30 seconds
11:45 AM: By this time we had finished the two rides and were hungry for some food in Hogsmeade. The line at The Three Broomsticks, which is the only restaurant there, was not bad around this time. We waited less than 10 minutes and ordered our food. You then wait around for your food before you are able to be seated by some of the witches and wizards. The ambiance of The Three Broomsticks was amazing. The decor is really rustic and I really felt like I was a student at Hogwarts visiting Hogsmeade. We ordered the Fish & Chips ($14.99) and the Beef Sunday Roast ($21.99). I preferred the roast better. After lunch, when exiting The Three Broomsticks through the front entrance, we took a right down an alley behind Honeydukes. There we found a nice, quiet dead end with no one in sight. It was a great photo opp spot since there was no foot traffic.
Total time spent at The Three Broomsticks: 1 hour
12:45 PM: When we left The Three Broomsticks, the line was so long. Definitely go early to beat the wait. Then it was time to play and shop! Don't forget about those interactive wands we purchased. We spent some time going around the park and casting spells. There is a map that comes with the interactive wand box that tells you where spells can be casted. The idea is you stand in a spot, face a shop window, and flick your wand in a certain motion. There is a spell you can recite as well, but you don't need to in order to be successful. I, myself, am a natural born witch and got all the spells on the first try ;). We spent almost an hour doing all the spells. Some spell spots had a short wait so that added to the time too. My trip to Hogsmeade would not have been half as fun if we didn't get these interactive wands.
Total time spent playing: almost an hour
1:45 PM: Next, shopping time! Most of the stores are clumped together and super tiny. You think you're walking through one store but really you've just walked through three. The stores are all from the Harry Potter realm: Zonko’s Joke Shop, Honeydukes, Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, Gladrags Wizardwear, Dervish and Banges, and the Owl Post. My favorite shop was definitely Honeydukes because those candies were one of the main things I wished for as I read the books as a young girl. Some things you can find inside the stores are the Ron and Harry Christmas sweaters from Mrs. Weasley and the Monster Book of Monsters that was featured in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Personally, I thought the stores were great fun to look at but nothing, besides the shirt and wands, seemed worthwhile to buy.
Total time spent admiring and window shopping: 40 minutes
2:25 PM: Then it was time for some downtime and the largely anticipated Butterbeer! In the souvenir cup of course. By this time the sun had made a full appearance so we opted out of waiting in the long lines at the Butterbeer carts, which there were two of. Instead, we went to Hog’s Head Inn to order an iced Butterbeer and frozen Butterbeer. I didn’t think the drinks were too sweet, but I do like my drinks sweet. If you want something less sweet then the frozen one would be the better choice. Hog’s Head Inn is actually connected to The Three Broomsticks so the tables inside were reserved for people who are eating. We went outside to find a table to enjoy our drinks. The Hog’s Head Inn also serves beer and other types of alcohol if you want some real beer.
Total time spent Butterbeering: 20 minutes
2:45 PM: Now that's the end of our wizarding journey. As a major fan of the books and movies, it was magical to experience this realm I could only visualize in my head before. Even though the rides were mediocre, I left happy with fun memories and a chocolate frog (Um, childhood dream come true). Even though I was in awe of the park and loved seeing a book come to life, I would not purchase an annual pass or come back anytime soon. The space is tiny and no matter where you walk you are always trying to get out of someone's way, even on a weekday so I cannot imagine visiting during the weekend. I think we explored every nook and cranny already, so I am happy with the experience we got. I hope this guide helps you if you ever decide to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood. I really enjoyed reliving it through this blog post!
No comments
Post a Comment