2024.11 Universal, two parks, one day
On our final full day in Florida we visited Universal Studios. We wanted to check out the Harry Potter areas of the theme parks. And like Galaxy’s Edge by Disney, the Harry Potter areas of both parks are a must visit!
Universal Studios
We knew this would be a long day for us. Even without the expectation to go on many of the rides we wanted to have time to take in the theme parks. Our visit was before their Epic Universe park opened, but we still had lots to see. We arrived around 10am and joined the many people visiting the park. We started on the Studio park. It too had Christmas decorations up on display. When we were having a snack the Blues Brothers vehicle went by, complete with an employee who must have loved his task of channeling his inner Dan Ackroyd for the loud speaker.
Eventually we made our way to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley. The crowds of the day were certainly present as this space was jam-packed. This space was outstanding and made us feel like we were in the movie. If my memory is correct, the staging created here was better than the original set pieces we saw from our 2017 visit to the WB lot outside of Windsor, England.
Now before entering the space there are a few items outside of the Alley to hint at the Harry Potter items ahead. The Knight bus, along with a pattern on one of the buildings was a great warm-up to the Alley. (Slideshow below)
The stand-out about the Alley is not just the outside space, but the fact that the storefronts are truly stores and true to the movies. We enjoyed walking through each of the shops, and like the movie version there were unique items available in each store. By far, the store that created the most excitement was Ollivanders Wand Shop. Both of us enjoyed the movies but neither of us saw a requirement to purchase a wand while visiting the store. (Slideshow below)
During our visit to the Alley we got hungry so we visited the Leaky Cauldron. We were seated fairly quickly, and with bench style seating you’ll sit close to other groups. (Slideshow below)
The meal was fine and once filled with food and energy I went on the “Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts” ride. Initially, it was promising to be a single rider, however the hopes of a short wait time vanished and it was easily 30-45 minutes before it was my turn to join the ride.
It was well done, and once we met back up, we headed for the train station to take the Howarts Express to travel to Hogemeade in the other Universal theme park. This too was well done, as supposedly the experience on the train depends on which direction you take. Had lines been shorter, I would have entertained the idea of taking the train multiple times. During a US holiday though, this place was busy. Here’s a slideshow of the station:
Upon arriving at the other park, er, Hogesmeade the sky opened and it rained. A lot. We ended up with an unintentional souvenir, a Howarts umbrella. (It’s a decent quality and we continue to use it back home). Here’s another slideshow after we got to Hogesmeade:
The difference between the spaces is intentional and excellent. Exchanging an urban style alley area, to rural town feel was outstanding. Once the rain trailed off we went through the many stores and shops in this area as well. We went on a small roller coaster, solely because the line was maybe 5 minutes. It would have been shorter had an extended family of 20+ not shown up in the express side of the line. We did try the Butterbeer here as well. The Universal park version is significantly sweeter than the UK version. Ironically, I think I’d prefer the UK version if I had to choose. Then again, if I had choice, I’d skip it completely. Novel, but you don’t need to order a second one.
Once we were finished walking through both Harry Potter themed areas, we stopped for dinner to have a chance to sit and have a decent meal. I cannot recall the restaurant’s name but the food was decent. Here’s a slideshow of the restaurant and meals we had:
Our path to exit the park had us going through Seuss’ Landing. It was cute, and given the time of day — the sun had set and some families had departed for the day — we did go on one of the rides. Here’s a slideshow while we walked through it:
We concluded our time at Universal searching for presents and gifts in the shops as we continued our way to the main entrance and back towards the parking garage. It was a full day.
If you expect to ride any of the many roller coasters at Universal pack your patience, and if possible, give yourself a day for each side of the park. As we only went on a couple of rides together, your day will quickly disappear waiting for the next roller coaster or ride.
Explore other parts of this trip:
Part 1 – Air Canada Flight Toronto to Orlando
Part 2 – Animal Kingdom & Downtown Disney
Part 3 – Magic Kingdom – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Part 5 – Universal Parks, two parks, one day (this post!)
Part 6 – Flight home