Harry Potter: "What is it?"
Albus Dumbledore: "This? It is called a Pensieve. I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind."
I always have that feeling! But some of the best memories that I won't ever forget are the times I've spent at Universal Studios in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It takes something pretty amazing to make me want to leave Disney, and Harry Potter does just that.
Universal is really an exciting and thrilling theme park, but I'm not a huge fan of big roller coasters. I like the idea of them until I'm heading down the first hill and then I have tons of regret. So Universal was always a place I just couldn't think about leaving Disney for - they do have great roller coasters, but that's just not for me.
Then they built the Wizarding World and if you haven't been, trust me, you should. If you are any sort of Harry Potter fan, you will be blown away by the attention to detail and the immersive atmosphere of it.
The rides are great - in fact, Escape from Gringotts may be may favorite ride of all time (sorry, Disney!). But even more than the rides, the fun comes from actually being in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley... I could spend hours looking at wands in Ollivanders, picking out candy in Honeydukes and being creeped out by the items on display in Borgin and Burkes.
The food is also a step up from normal theme park meals. The Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks both serve traditional English food that is delicious. I've never been to London, so can't verify the authenticity, but I thoroughly enjoyed it (and I'm known as a bit of a picky eater!). And the Butterbeer! You can buy it cold, hot or frozen and all are amazing. I might have had more than a dozen servings the last time I was there.
If you've never been, I'd definitely recommend doing the park-to-park ticket so you can ride The Hogwarts Express. Hogwarts and Hogmeade are at Universal's Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley is at Universal Studios. The train goes between the parks which is the reason for the park-to-park pass. Once again, it's a totally immersive experience and not to be missed.
If you really only are interested in Harry Potter, you can do both parks in a day. If you're into all of the other thrill rides and attractions Universal has to offer (there's quite a bit!), plan on doing at least two days.
Harry Potter does offer it's own thrills so the roller-coaster fan in your group can get their fix. I was forced into riding the Dragon Challenge coaster on my last trip and I heard it was fun - I'm pretty sure I blacked out!
As much as I would love to have a Pensieve to show you my memories of this great place, I'm sadly just a Muggle so these pics below will have to do. Check them out and when you're ready to apparate to the Wizarding World, give me a call. I have tons of information and advice and it's all free! I can book you a trip if you're a Muggle like me and need to buy a ticket rather than apparate...
