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Sunday, November 20, 2016

Alohomora - Unlocking The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Hi Blog!

This November we are hanging out in Tucson, Arizona waiting for our new motorhome. This puts us within driving distance of our daughter Katie in Los Angeles. Since we are always looking for new adventures, Katie suggested we visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Never one to miss out on an adventure, our friend, Darla, joined us for a day of magical adventure.

All aboard the Hogwarts Express....


Our "Front of the Line" passes allow us to enter the park an hour early. We were happy to have the extra time to explore. As we approached the entrance, we were amazed at the size and attention to detail of each of the buildings.

Welcome to Hogsmeade.


Before exploring all the shops, we fortify ourselves with a butterbeer. If you are a kid, you will love this drink. (Think vanilla cream soda with whip cream.) For us, we found it way too sweet. Now that we were sufficiently sugared up, it was time to shop.


We stopped at Ollivanders and watched a wand choose a young wizard. Of course, his parents then felt obligated to buy it for him. At $50.00 apiece, the wands are not cheap, but the kids can use them to "cast spells" around the park.


The main ride attraction is "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey," located inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This way to Hogwarts....


Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey uses robocoaster technology, which allows the seats to pivot while being held above the track by a robotic arm. However, the ride is not a roller coaster but a scenic dark ride in 3D. The experience includes a flight around Hogwarts Castle, encounters with the Whomping Willow and a horde of Dementors, and a Quidditch match. The ride drops, spins around, twists and turns, but does not turn upside down, though passengers sometimes lie flat on their backs. 

Sounds awesome!


After checking our bags, we began to work our way through the castle. Even if you don't like motion control rides, the walk through the castle is so worth it. 


While the portraits did talk to us, the stairs remained stationary. 


We used our early admission time to take the Forbidden Journey twice. The ride goes by so fast, we felt we missed stuff. Later in the afternoon, we used our Front of the Line Pass to take one last ride. However, the entrance for the Front of the Line Pass is different, so we got to see props. We were glad we did both because the long entrance line through the castle is almost as much fun as the ride itself.

Our last Harry Potter adventure was a short roller coaster called, "Flight of the Hippogriff." It is a cute family-friendly roller coaster. Again, the line was almost better than the ride. To get to the ride, you walk through the grounds of Hogwarts right past Hagrid's house. If you get too close, Fluffy will bark at you.


Want to go for a ride?


Our last look at the castle before heading out to explore the rest of Universal Studios:


Since we spent most of our time in Harry Potter World, we only had the energy for a few other adventures. We sampled Duff Beer and screamed on the Simpsons 3D ride at Simpson World, took the Backlot Tour, experienced Water World and finished off with some Minions! 

Kathy and Darla styling and profiling their new minion 3D goggles!


Of course, we took home a few souvenirs. The pumpkin juice reminded us more of spiced apple cider than anything pumpkin. Kathy was excited to get a Dumbledore card with her chocolate frog!


And so ends another adventure. Mischief managed!


2 comments:

  1. We had an awesome time when we went to the Florida Harry Potter. Can't wait to do the California one. Thanks for sharing!!

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