As a college junior, I was given the option to choose between three days at Harry Potter world in Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla or a cruise to Cozumel. For me, it was not even a hard decision. I chose Harry Potter world, much to my mom’s dismay. As someone obsessed with all things Harry Potter, I could not even contain my excitement. Harry Potter world is truly like stepping into the movie and being a part of the action.
On the first day, the excitement begins to get to you and you get antsy as you wait outside the gates of the main entrance waiting for them to open. As you look around, you see the majority of the people around you waiting are also decked out in their Harry Potter attire. You think to yourself, “So these are the people I will be racing to the castle. HA! Game on, sister. Although her shirt is super cute, but I still think I can out run her.” The gates begin to open so you hand your ticket to the nice lady at the kiosk and you take off towards Hogwarts.
As you get closer and closer to Hogsmeade, your heart begins to pound (and not just from sprinting there). You see the Hogsmeade sign with the words, “Please respect the spell zones,” and you know it’s about to get real. The first thing you see when you cross into Hogsmeade is the Hogwarts Express. As you look around in wonder and see the snow-capped village of Hogsmeade, you feel like you’re at home. You may even have tears in your eyes and a huge smile on your face.
You immediately bypass all of the shops and run straight for Hogwarts. When you first see Hogwarts, you are in awe and cannot believe how realistic the castle looks. You get in line for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and as you walk through the castle to get on the ride, your heart is full. There’s the Sorting Hat, Dumbledore’s office, the defense of the dark arts classroom and many other beloved pieces of the Harry Potter universe. You even get to see Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron and Harry Potter himself (even if it is a hologram, you’re still beside yourself). As you ride through the castle on an adventure with Harry, Ron and Hermione, you feel like a little kid again.
After the ride, you take the time to enjoy the sights. You stop in at Honeydukes for some Every Flavor Jelly Beans and Chocolate Frogs before enjoying a nice cold butterbeer. You decide it is time to get a wand so you can zip around Harry Potter world casting spells. You head into Ollivander’s wand shop and you decide to observe a wand choosing ceremony. You might even be lucky enough to be the chosen one like Harry and let your wand choose you. After you purchase your wand and cast a few spells, you decide to take the Hogwarts Express to Diagon Alley.
As you listen to the Harry Potter tune (we all know the one) and watch the Hogwarts Express roll into the station, you’re practically dancing around with excitement. Well, after you put a picture of the train on your Snapchat of course, you get to see sights such as Malfoy Manor, London and King’s Cross Station. You get off the train and walk outside the station where you run over to the Knight Bus to take a picture with Stan Shunpike and the Shrunken Head. Then, you head over to take a picture in front of Sirius Black’s house at 12 Grimmauld Place, London. Finally, you pass through the secret brick wall into Diagon Alley.
The chaos and colors of Diagon Alley throw you off for a minute but once you adjust, you’re off to find Gringotts Bank. You take a selfie, or five, with the fire-breathing dragon on top of the bank and then head in for Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride. You go through the bank and see the Goblins and take selfies with them before heading down into the vaults. After you ride through the bank and help the gang defeat He Who Must Not Be Named, then you get to go check out all the shops. You find a prank or two inside Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, then you go buy a stuffed hippogriff at Magical Menagerie after talking to Nagini in parseltongue. You go check out the robe selection at Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions before eating a big dinner at The Leaky Cauldron.
You decide to venture down Knockturn Alley and go into Borgin and Burke’s to see what all of the fuss is about. After you check out the vanishing cabinet, your parents are begging you to venture out into the rest of the parks. So you grab one last butterbeer to go and bid Harry Potter farewell for the day. After all, this is only day one.
