When thinking of the moment I would finally experience the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I don’t think I could have possibly conjured up a better day than what really occurred on June 18th, 2010. This will be a long and detailed review of not only my personal experiences that day, but also of the park in general as well as attractions and shops. If for some reason you feel as if this will ruin your own eventual experience of the Wizarding World, please do not continue reading.
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It all started at 4am.
Our alarm went off after about 4 hours of sleep and we couldn’t be groggier. The epic-ness of the day had yet to hit me and we both began getting ready. That’s when I got the phone call from my brother-in-law who was covering the opening for NBC6 Miami. He told me there was a line of traffic that extended for miles on Orlando’s I-4 highway of excited fans that had been waiting for hours to gain entrance into the park’s parking garage. Good news for us? They weren’t going to be allowed in said garage until 5:30am. He advised us to get our butts in gear and head out of the hotel as quickly as humanly possible to beat this gargantuan crowd. Needless to say, we were out the door and moving by 4:45am.
We were lucky enough to head down to the lobby just as the concierge was about to transport another guest to the park. We were planning on walking to the park, so we were beyond relieved when we realized we could be shuttled. We arrived at Citywalk (the mall surrounding Universal Studio’s two parks) at about 5:15am and were told by security that we were not allowed to go past Citywalk’s limits to the parks until 5:30am. Fine. We sat down and chatted it up with our fellow fan when I began thinking, we can’t be the first and only ones here. It was at that point that I heard something loud and violent coming our way: a stampede made up of hundreds of Potter fans. And they were going to get in front of us. I still have no idea where these people came from or where they were being held back, but I knew I had to act fast. I sprang up as quickly as I could and ran. I ran and ran and ran. I ran until I couldn’t feel my legs anymore and after a few seconds of brisk power-walking, I was at the ticket booths for Islands of Adventure.

I was able to secure my tickets from will call pretty efficiently and run back in the line. I was preparing to get comfortable when several employees took their posts at the entrance and began scanning our tickets and letting us in! As we walked through the entrance of Islands of Adventure we were stopped in front of a huge projection screen showing clips of the Potter films. It was at that moment that we were addressed by a Universal employee. What he told us nearly knocked me on my ass: You will be the first guests to enter the park.
“You will be the first ones in the park” from Melificent on Vimeo.
I am so glad I got it film because it shows the raw emotion of that moment. Words can’t really describe how we all felt right then and there, but I’m sure you’ll all get the gist by watching the footage.
We were then led through an empty and eerily quiet Islands of Adventure (kind of felt like I was in ZombieLand or something) to Sinbad’s stadium where we were told we had to wait. They were vague and didn’t give us many details. So we sat. And we waited. We were given food and drinks and got to socialize with one another. I took the chance to go around taking pictures of the most interesting characters in the bunch and before I knew it, we were being told yet again that we were moving.

We were led quietly through what seemed to be the back lot and were ushered into a narrow corridor that led us straight into HOGSMEADE. We were inside. I don’t know when it exactly hit me because my mind went all fuzzy and I got extremely emotional. My eyes welled up and I just stood there. I stood there in awe. We were inside, on the other side of the curtain in a mostly deserted Hogsmeade village. It was really hard to take in for a few minutes: I could hear people screaming, crying, laughing, cheering. It was just one of those amazing moments. And as if the whole moment wasn’t purely magical enough, the sun was rising. It was breathtaking. We weren’t allowed to wander but I was able to snap pictures of something that will never happen again: an empty Wizarding World.

It was then that they began filming segments for the Today Show with us in the background. We couldn’t hear much of what was being said so it was a bit strange. What kept our attention was that occassionally, we would see one of the actors pop out of one of the stores and make their way to another portion of the park. I kind of had a silly fangirl moment when Rupert Grint (who plays Harry’s best friend, Ron Weasley) stepped out mere feet in front of me and waved to the crowd. Squee!
Once the segments were filmed, we were told we would be moving towards the end of the park, which houses the unbelievable Hogwarts Castle. I can’t even tell you guys how beautiful it is. So unreal. I just found myself staring at it for minutes at a time and commenting on how it looks almost superimposed. It was at this location that the full cast (minus Hermione – what up, Emma Watson?) was being interviewed by the Today Show. Again, we had a very hard time hearing anything so we found ourselves just standing around and attempting to get a peek at the cast members while on tip toe.

It was around 8am or so when I began to feel a little faint. We hadn’t eaten in awhile and it was already getting pretty stiflingly humid, especially being pressed up to all those people. I decided to take a little break from the mayhem and sit against on wall for a short breather. A couple of minutes pass by when I hear a shrill, “HARRY!!!” I look up and see none other than Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, walk right in front of us! By the time I could really process the entire moment, he was gone and we were all left with our mouths hanging open. Thankfully, my husband is a camera ninja and snapped quick shots of DanRad cutting in front of us to avoid the crowd.

Immediately after, we were ushered back out of the park so we could wait for the official grand opening festivities (aka: the curtain drop). The opening ceremonies were really nice and moving. As the curtain dropped, the actors made their way to the stage and officially opened the park to the public, walking hand-in-hand with children that had won a Today Show contest and we were right behind!
Then the real fun began…
As soon as we walked in, we went straight to Hogwarts to ride the famed Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey. It was only a 20 minute wait as we walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, and for once I can honestly say I wish there was a longer wait time. Walking through the line for this ride is not only visually stimulating, but really gives fans everything they could have ever wanted. The details are out of this world! As you move through the castle, you visit all the landmarks: Dumbledore’s office, defense against the dark arts classroom, the room of requirement and more. Your walk through Hogwarts is also peppered with props such as the pensieve, the mirror of erised and even the sorting hat! It’s almost borderline more exciting than the ride itself, which is pretty amazing, I must admit. The ride is being referred to as a robocoaster, where robotic arms take you through both projections as well as real sets. My only complaint is that it goes through each scene very quickly, which kind of results in a clusterfuck of visuals, not allowing you to really follow any sort of storyline. But overall, it had me laughing and screaming throughout – lots of scares, surprises and familiar faces. 😉
It was then time for a little food porn. I stood in line for Butterbeer, while the hubs stood in line for the Three Broomsticks. Something I think needs to be corrected ASAP is the fact that there is only ONE Butterbeer cart. Let’s face it, that is one of the biggest draws to the park – it is unfair to have people wait hours in line in the brutal heat when it could be easily resolved with multiple stands. I, for one, waited 40 minutes and when I got to the front of the line, they had run out of the frozen kind, which got me pretty miffed. Thankfully I was able to get a frozen refill later at the Three Broomsticks and I must say, frozen is better than draft, muggles! But aside from all that, Butterbeer is perfection and oh-so-addictive. Unfortunately, it is only available at the park which creates some pretty painful cravings. The food at Three Broomsticks was also so impressive. It was absolutely delicious. I had the fish and chips, while the hubs had the ribs & chicken platter. We both loved our dishes and then shared a plate of cornish pasties, which were not my favorite. However, to be fair, I had already stuffed my face by the time I had gotten to the pasties and really couldn’t fathom eating any more. We also had to try the Hog’s Head brew, another item unique to the Wizarding World. The hubs loved it, but it was not doing it for me. It seemed really bitter to me, but I had just finished downing a mug of Butterbeer, which may have influenced my palette. While in line for a Butterbeer refill, another fan told us a trick was to scoop a little Butterbeer frosting and mix it into the brew to help break the bitterness. Although we didn’t try it out this time around, we will keep it in mind for our next visit!

Now that our tummies were happy and full, there was only one thing to do and that was (naturally) to hit up a rollercoaster! We hopped on over to the Dueling Dragons, one of my favorite coasters ever, that had been refitted and renamed to Dragon Challenge. There was absolutely no line so I was able to take my time and really check out the details of this attraction. It was all themed out, Triwizard Tournament style, which really made me happy since the Goblet of Fire is my favorite Potter book. There were banners cheering on all the competing wizards (but no Cedric? Lame!), the infamous Ford Anglia (it honked at you!) and the gorgeous Goblet of Fire, which was complete with fiery blue flames. The ride has not changed one bit and is still as exciting and adrenaline-pumping as always! Unfortunately, the hubs got a bit sick after this ride, so we couldn’t go for a round 2.

Then it was time to go shopping in some of the most famous shops in the Potter universe: Zonko’s and Honeydukes! Unfortunately, these stores were built so cramped and narrow, it is virtually impossible to enjoy them, which is such a shame because they are so beautiful. They are also filled with so much amazing Potter paraphernalia that requires time and scrutiny – something that cannot be afforded with such a claustrophobic space. I realize it is probably trying to create that authentic British feel, but sometimes you have to think a little more practical. I basically had to run out of the stores because I felt an anxiety attack coming on, but not before I cuddled a bit with a sweet little Pygmy Puff!

It was at that point that we decided it was time to go. The heat had reached it’s most deadly point (noon-ish) and we were beat after what felt like the longest day ever. We took one more spin around Hogsmeade and saw that we were missing some experiences such as Ollivander’s, the Owl Post and Dervishes and Banges but the lines were absolutely ridiculous! We know we are going to be back, so we weren’t overly concerned.
So overall, it was a truly magical experience and I highly recommend the trek to all Potter fans. You will be blown away.
Is it too early to want to go back? 😉
Nivs says
Thanks for the review Meli! It sounds amazing and Uni and I can’t wait to go in October right after the wedding 🙂 Wee!!!
Nita says
Absolutely amazing. I’m WAY beyond jealous. What a once in a lifetime experience! It’s so powerful, how much Harry Potter has changed SO many lives…I hope I can experience TWWOHP myself someday.
Lauren says
Can’t wait to go! Looks like you had a blast! Is your bro-in-law the photog for NBC6? I followed Roxy and Christine’s tweets and facebook posts all last week. Love their pics 🙂
Everything sounds perfect except the “No Cedric” part of the Twiwizard Tournament coaster ride… not cool, Universal. Not cool at all! LOL. I love me some Mr. Diggory!
Meli says
Lauren – yes he is!
I’m glad all of you are enjoying the review – it is a MUST DO for Potter fanatics!
Elsie says
Is it terrible that I got leaky reading your description of Hogwarts? I can’t wait to go!!!
Meli says
Wait until you see it in person, Elsie!
It was…magical.
Aliza says
I’m glad you had a nice time! I’m going next month, hopefully things will calm down a bit because I really hate being in such a huge crowd.
Anika says
So fantastic!! I DEFINITELY want you to be there whenever I finally get to go. It just wouldn’t be the same going with someone who isn’t a die hard fan. 😉