A First-Hand Look at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter

A First-Hand Look at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter
By Glen Wheaton

Recently I had my first look at the newest addition to the wizarding world of Harry Potter exhibit at the Universal Orlando Resort. For those who aren't up on what is going on, Universal Studios has two major parks areas: the Islands of Adventure and the Universal Studios. In the Islands of Adventure area Hogsmeade, the village that the movie characters went to school, has been around for a few years now. Universal has recently added a second's Harry Potter world edition at the Universal Studios area. Here we'll talk about Diagon Alley and the train that connects these two parks together.

When you get your first look at Diagon Alley, you turn a corner into a whole new and very intricate world. It all has a very London feel to it, right down to a busker playing on the sidewalk. We know that it wasn't a real London busker because he didn't have his instrument case open to accept gratuities. But it did make you feel like you're in another world, and I think they should get extremely high marks for their authenticity. There are quite a few shops and places to eat here, with the Leaky Cauldron the main restaurant which serves British fare. In fact, all of the food in Diagon Alley is part of the authentic Harry Potter theme.

Definitely the highlight of the area is the Escape from Gringotts ride. This is a multidimensional thrill ride that puts you in the middle of the action it's excellent, but walking through the Gringotts bank with the goblins/bankers were amazing. Their attention to detail on these intricate animated characters is fascinating, and they seem to have brought this whole art to a new level.

This is still an extremely popular ride, so no matter when you go expect a long wait. We were on location first thing in the morning in an off-peak time of year and still waited 45 minutes, but it was well worth it. I think even for those who are not huge Harry Potter fans they will find that the whole area is a worthwhile experience.

From here you will take the Hogwarts Express to the Islands of Adventure side. This embarks from a not-to-authentic King's Cross Station, and although there are some interesting aspects of this train ride, I thought it was a bit disappointing. It just seemed like there was quite a lot more that could've been done to make it jump out, so I was expecting more. Still, Universal has certainly put a lot of money and effort into these two Harry Potter areas, and I would greatly recommend visiting them when in the Orlando area.

If you are planning a vacation to this spectacular area, our� article �on Orlando will give you some interesting information on Disney World. You can find more about Florida on our site� http://whattoseeinflorida.com/ �and we welcome you to take a look. Glen Wheaton is an avid traveler and writer living in Chicago.

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