If you love Harry Potter you’ve absolutely got to immerse yourself in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at some point in your life! While Universal Hollywood is also fun, if you can only pick one park to visit, I’d pick Orlando for sure. Universal Hollywood contains the village of Hogsmeade and two rides, while Universal Orlando has the Diagon Alley section of the park and three additional rides, including the Hogwarts Express that goes between parks.
Enjoy my top ten suggestions on what to do!
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1. Hogwarts Train– I love everything about the Hogwarts Express. Ride it both ways to experience the two separate experiences. This is my top recommendation to do in the park as it’s also the only ride that’s okay for those prone to motion sickness and who might have a fear of thrill rides. I’ve taken multiple people who experience motion sickness on this ride (including myself!) and no one had an issue.
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2. Escape From Gringotts Rollercoaster — The Gringotts coaster is NOT for those prone to motion sickness, just like most of the other rides in the Wizarding World. Not only is it a mini coaster that flings you around a fair bit, but there’s some 3d imagery. However, you can always join the line (which is exceptional) and gawk at the Gringotts interior and the fun interactions with goblins and Bill Weasley. I have taken a friend who gets motion sick fairly easily on this ride more than once and she was fine, but I do think if your motion sickness is severe, skip it.
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3. Butterbeer — I prefer the frozen butterbeer or the hot butterbeer (during the two weeks a year Orlando is cold enough for hot butterbeer) but there’s also butterbeer ice cream and the classic butterbeer drink. It’s very sweet so perhaps split with a friend if you’re not big on lots of sugar. I can handle my own, but I’m more sugar than human. Prepare to get price gouged, even if you don’t buy the collectible plastic mug, but it’s so good you probably won’t mind.
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4. Ollivander’s Wands–there are two Ollivanders, one in Diagon Alley and one in Hogsmeade. I recommend going to the one in Diagon Alley because the line moves faster and the shop is larger. Either way, as pricey as they are getting a wand is a must! Pick a character wand, an interactive wand, or an Ollivander original wand. Go wild and get my favorite: the Dumbledore’s Army wand set. If you are a touch cynical, skip the Ollivander’s wand experience, it’s cute but it’s a brief recreation from a scene in the first movie that is only super special for one person. I will do this if there’s no line and I need to get out of the rain or heat.
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5. The Line at Forbidden Journey–I absolutely love this line that winds through the Hogwarts castle, but I only love the ride about 50 percent of the time. The other 50 percent I randomly get motion sickness from it, and I’m someone who loves rollercoasters. You can still wait in line and duck out at the end to experience how stunning and immersive the line is, or stay and hop on the ride if you like thrilling rides and don’t have issues with motion sickness. Don’t be afraid to do this, the staff is used to people walking through the line and not riding and are super nice about it. I didn’t even try to take my friend who gets motion sick on this ride.
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6. Stroll through Knockturn Alley — the great part about Knockturn Alley is that if you go at less busy times of the year you can stroll around the hidden alleys of Knockturn almost by yourself. It’s also a cool spot when it’s sweltering in Florida. Go to Borgin and Burkes to check out one of the most unique shops in either park. The staff usually stay in character too which makes it extra fun. I can’t guarantee you’ll run into Oliver Wood like I did, but who knows!
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7. Get a meal at the 3 Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron — if you go more than one day I definitely recommend eating at both, just to fully experience the wizarding world. Breakfast is delicious and usually less crowded but also eats into your prime early park hours so judge accordingly what’s important to you. I prefer the Leaky Cauldron but just barely, and both are full of British food (am American, it might not be super British for all I know…) and delicious wizard drinks like butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and fishy green ale. If you have a weak stomach particularly in the Florida heat, be careful in your food selection, as most of this food is heavy.
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8. Get a treat at Honeydukes —Florian Fortescue’s in Diagon Alley is another fun alternative and the hard ice cream and sundaes are good (soft serve is a bit whomp whomp for me but my friends love it) but the actual interior of Florian Fortescues is not nearly as fun as poking around Honeydukes and the endless wizarding themed treats. Take some candy home or crab a cauldron cake to eat right then.
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9. Hagrid Coaster —My newest favorite thing to do at either park is the Hagrid Coaster. It’s full of unexpected moments and joyous fun. Not the scariest rollercoaster and not the gentlest either, so those who don’t like thrill rides avoid.
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10. Shop and take pictures — the stores are absolutely amazing, even if you’re not into merchandise just for the ambience. I’ve already mentioned Knockturn Alley, Ollivanders, and Honeydukes but check out Filch’s Emporium for collectibles and clothing, the Magical Menagerie for magical animals, and of course, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes for all things Fred and George! You can spend hours shopping and just gawking. I prefer Diagon Alley for this. When they opened the original Hogsmeade section of the park, they tried to keep it more “accurate” to how a street/store in the UK would look. This makes for a more authentic space, but not quite as enjoyable as the larger stores and alleys in Diagon Alley, which also has more shaded areas. If you’re a big shopper I’ve discovered there is not a single store in either park or Universal Citywalk that contains every piece of Harry Potter merchandise…so do what I do and drag your tormented friends and family into every Harry Potter store!
What’s your favorite thing to do?
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