Whew, what a whirlwind! There is so much to say and reflect upon, but I must begin with Harry Potter's Wizarding World in Orlando, Florida. Universal did it up right. Yes, it was crazy crowded, but we were in no hurry. We just wanted to take it all in and enjoy each moment.
Universal's Isle of Adventure has tons of rides, but we barely gave them a glance as we made our way to the pinnacle, Hogwarts Castle. The girls were absolutely giddy and it brought tears to my eyes to see such anticipation. They know the seven books by heart (proven to me by our game of "Who Said It?" of Harry Potter character quotes I had found online).
The girls wore their robes the entire day and spent just has much time having their pictures taken by strangers then by me. So this post isn't entirely too long, here is a breakdown of the hits:
The Forbidden Journey Ride: Absolutely Amazing (tears to eyes once again). The line takes you through Hogwarts Castle so you are enthralled at every turn. The kids went on the ride 3 times in a row (thank you, Child Swap) and were a part of running from Dementors, pl
aying a Quidditch game and recklessly riding broomsticks. You actually feel like you are doing it all and the layout of the ride is made so you feel like you are the only one on it and the turns and bumps are choreographed perfectly.Olivander's Wand Shop: Gets my only Bah. We went there first and still waited a half hour (longest wait for anything though). Olivander was grumpy during his wand selection show (and it was only 9:30 AM). I could just be sour gr
apes because he purposely slighted the girls, but the wand shop is truly remarkable.Honeydukes Candy Shop and Zonko's Joke Shop: Incredibly cool. Lucy enjoyed a chocolate frog. They could have spent all day there.
Flight of Hippog
riff: Max's favorite (but that may be because he was just barely tall enough and I think that it was only because he was standing on tiptoes, which was all his own idea. Should I be worried or proud?).Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer: Kids loved the juice more then the Butterbeer. The Pumpkin Juice was similar to a cider while the Butter Beer was like cream of soda pop.
The Details: Everything from Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom to the "grim" on the cups in the 3 Broomsticks. We loved the Talking Portraits in the castle and all of the surprises and details to those that truly know and love the books.
