Last week I was able to do something many nerds dream of doing – getting to go to Harry Potter World in Universal Orlando. Spoiler alert, it was magic!

I have to start off with the fact that I have actually been to Harry Potter World, but that was before they added on to it. So I won’t be talking much about Hogsmeade other than to say, it’s wonderful, I still don’t get them trying to make us believe there is snow there and make sure to hit all the rides (the castle, Hagrid’s and dueling dragons). I have also already bought my wand from Ollivander’s in Diagon Alley and if you haven’t experienced the show they put on, you absolutely should. If you are lucky to be chosen for the presentation, being tiny and cute helps, you’ll get to perform ‘magic’ while they figure out which wand suits you best.

I was surprised to learn that they had updated the wands since last time I had been there. They now also sell ones that have a sensor in the front and all throughout Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and Nocturn Alley there are places you can stand and do spells and things actually happen! It was amazing to see and the kids all had a blast. But who am I kidding? I’m 30 and I still had a blast too. Make sure to watch out for those golden squares on the ground that indicate a spot to do a spell and follow the instructions. Universal even hired more people to watch and if someone is having trouble they help them out and tell them that they’re just getting used to doing magic and that’s why it doesn’t always work. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

There weren’t really any changes made to Hogsmeade, but there was tons to see for Diagon Alley, Nocturn Alley and riding the Hogwarts Express. A word of warning, the Express technically takes you to another park so you have to at least have tickets for both. Annoying, but it is very doable and they make it easy to understand and buy online.

I would also recommend that you ride the train more than once because there are multiple trips that can happen either way! The one to London is a bit darker if you or your kids are scaredy-cats. I won’t spoil too much more of the train ride, but there is no food trolley sadly, but you do get to be in a train car that is exactly like the ones in the movie. It’s kind of amazing and I never wanted to get off the train.

Diagon Alley was a lot of fun and most of the shops you read about are actually open for business. I loved Florean Fortescue because they have Butterbeer ice cream and it was as delicious as it sounds.

The decorations were absolutely on point in every store and in the street. It is completely immersive and along with being able to do spells now, it made it a dream come true for all Harry Potter fans! I won’t tell the secret of the original bathrooms near Hogwarts other than to say you definitely should go in there and see for yourself. The new ones on the other side now are also pretty cool. They look exactly like the ones wizards use to go to the Ministry of Magic. I had to stop myself from standing in one and seeing if it would take me there.

To get to Diagon Alley you have to go around a wall. It’s made to look like you kind of disappear and feel like you just did some magic. Of course the biggest thing everyone notices about Diagon Alley at the start is the dragon on top of Gringotts. It is massive and if you hang around long enough, you get to see him roar and spew fire everywhere.

You can also go into Gringotts itself and it is gorgeous. Again, no detail was left out and it is opulent and they even have the goblins and guards there. At the bottom is a new ride. It goes through the vaults and is made much the same as the Hogwarts castle one, except now you’re in a mine cart and have 3D glasses. I felt the glasses were a bit unnecessary, but it was a fun ride. Also if you’re a fan of Bill Weasley, you will be very happy on the ride.

Next up is Nocturn Alley. I really wish it had been as large as the other two streets, but it was quite a bit smaller. Perhaps that’s just the dark wizard in me though. Nocturn is pretty dark, so you will get a break from the Florida sun and heat there. They have the most amazing store and I need to work there so I can scare the bejeezus out of people like the workers were doing. I bought a dark mark travel mug. It’s the best.

There are spells to do here too. Most are more innocent, but there is one in front of a bird cage and sometimes kind of awful things happen to it. Nothing too terrible, as that would scare the children, but they are still mean. It is like the Hogwarts Express that several different outcomes can happen, so make sure to try and get them all or watch others.

Finally I’ll talk about the Leaky Cauldron and ‘London.’ We ate at the LC and it was, like everything else in theme parks all over, totally overpriced. But it was decorated perfectly and they served butterbeer. By the way, they have also updated their menu’s to include more British foods and they also serve themed wines, beer and fire whiskey too! I had the classic fish and chips and it was good. The place was packed, but we were able to score an amazing table by a window and that made the magic of it all the more real.

 

Finally you can come out the other side an onto another park. To segue it though, the street is set up as if it’s the same London street that is in the books that you find the Leaky Cauldron.

There are a few surprises there as well, which I was very excited to see. I was afraid they would skimp a bit on this part, but they kept closely to the books and I suppose actual London (someone else will have to tell me, as I have never been). The one that stands out the most is the Knight Bus. That purple double decker is down right eye catching. They also have Stan out there taking pictures with people a la how they used to do with the Hogwarts Express. I hope this means that if they update Harry Potter again, maybe we’ll get a Knight Bus ride! There are also the shrunken heads that can talk and are pretty darn funny.

The next couple of surprises are easy to miss, but if you look closely you’ll realize the generic London town homes, aren’t so generic after all. They all surround 13 Grimwauld Place! You can’t go inside (Yet hopefully. That’s speculation on my part, but wouldn’t it be amazing to tour?) but you can pose for pictures on the stoop and if you watch closely from across the street you might just see a certain house elf scowling at all the muggles.

Overall I am very pleased with the additions Universal has made to Harry Potter. It is more immersive than ever and I can only hope that in the future they continue adding on to it. Personally I would love if Universal was all Harry Potter stuff. Think of an entire theme park dedicated to it – it would be amazing! That is a wild dream on my part, but I do hope they continue adding on to it. Another ride in Hogwarts or perhaps a ride where Harry and the others escape the Dursley home for the last time. A haunted Shrieking Shack to go through. A boat ride to Hogwarts or maybe in the cave where the Inferi come up. Triwizard tournament rides. Quidditch. The possibilities, as with magic, are endless!

There are several surprises I left out that you will just have to go find out on your own. If you haven’t been able to go yet, I hope you can soon and I hope that this article did the justice that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter deserves.