Wingardium Leviosa

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I'm sure every Potterhead in the world wants to visit Hogwarts Castle in Universal Studios. As a big fan, I'm so lucky to say that I have finally achieved that dream. It is not a cheap adventure but it is very worth it. 

We decided to come during Christmas time because as you may know, Christmas in Hogwarts is a magical time. After reading reviews about it, we decided to buy the "1 day park to park" tickets. We arrived very early to avoid the crowds. Our first stop was (of course) the King's Cross station. This station is also the only way to travel between the parks if you don't want to walk, and trust me, you don't. Because we arrived early, there were only a few people in the station so we could get on it without the long queue. Everything looks exactly like in the movie, and I love how everyone there dresses up so you really get the vibe. I dressed up as Luna Lovegood, by the way. It was pretty awesome.
Next we went to Hogsmeade to taste the most famous drink in the world, Butterbeer. It is kind of pricey at $7.50 per cup. We bought the cold Butterbeer and oh my God, it was really delicious. It is not actually beer, so kids can also drink it. It is the mixture of the butterscotch and shortbread with a thick light cold bubbly foam as topping. 

After that, we went to Ollivander's Wand Shop. Ollivander has a presentation every 15 or 30 minutes, where the wand chooses the wizard, so you better be there if you need one. 

 We went to the castle afterward where we met Fat Lady, and all the dead Hogwart's Professors on the wall including Dumbledore. Our first ride in the castle was "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey". As I went on the ride, my tears were just falling down because I was so happy that I could finally do it. You probably think it's weird but if you're growing up with it, you would get the idea.

The day was getting late (time flies by so fast when you're there), and the crowds were getting bigger by the afternoon. As a result, the waiting times were longer. It took at least 90 minutes to get to another park. We decided to walk and explore the HUGE park. We finally arrived at the Gringotts Bank. We met so many goblins, it was surreal. In order to do "Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts" ride, you have to rent the locker to keep all your bags - which was not easy because most of them were taken. The line for this ride was so long but it actually moved up quickly and I didn't want to give up because this was the only ride we could take before the park was closed. 


It was such an extraordinary journey and for someone who doesn't like going to the same place twice, I really wish I could do it again someday. My next dream is to go to Warner Bros studio in England to get a different experience.


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