Let's Go On An Adventure

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Florida

This summer I was lucky enough to spend a few glorious weeks in Florida. A particular highlight was the week I spent in Orlando running around some of the amazing parks like an over-excited twelve year old. I must say the parks in Florida make ours over here in the UK look absolutely pathetic by comparison – the US certainly doesn’t do anything by halves! Out of all of the parks I visited, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure was by far my favourite. I had been dying to visit here for a while, particularly because of the Harry Potter attractions, so I was a tad giddy when I finally got there. Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed as the park surpassed all of my expectations. 

The park is divided into six different ‘islands’, namely The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Lost Continent and Seuss Landing. Before visiting, we were told that the wait for attractions could be up to 2 hours or more, so with that in mind I headed straight for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (obviously). Needless to say it was amazing. If you are a fan of the books or the films then I think you will appreciate what an exceptional job has been done to create the Hogsmede Village and Hogwarts Castle – I was so impressed! 

Welcome to Hogwarts

Hogsmede Village

Everything from the shops, the Hogwarts train and station and the dining areas, including The Three Broomsticks and The Hog’s Head, were so well decorated that I did actually feel as if I was in a part of the movie. The rides in this section were equally impressive. If, like me, you are a big thrill seeker, then the Dragon Challenge coasters are for you. Take a ride on either the Chinese Fireball (the red track) or the Hungarian Horntail (the blue track), two very different but equally thrilling, dizzying, high speed coasters. 

Side by side: Dragon Challenge coasters

For those who prefer to remain a little closer to solid ground, there is the family friendly Flight of the Hippogriff coaster and the revolutionary flight simulator ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The Forbidden Journey did have quite a long queue time, but it really is a worth waiting for. Besides, half of the fun is in fact the wait on this ride, as you are taken inside the Hogwarts castle where you get to wander through various well-known and much loved sets, including Dumbledore’s Office, The Gryffindor Common Room and the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. Obviously this section of the park is going to appeal more to fans of the books and films, but even if you’re not an avid potter fan it is still worth a visit, even if for nothing but the rides.

Along with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Marvel Super Hero Island, Jurassic Park and Toon Lagoon were also pretty exceptional. Personally, I didn’t feel there was that much to see in The Lost Continent, whilst Seuss Landing appealed more to younger children. Jurassic Park and Toon Lagoon are the places to head if you love a good water ride. The Jurassic Park River Adventure is certainly the grandest of all the water rides in the park, but my favourite was definitely Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw falls, a wild log flume ride. The queue to get on this was by far the longest in the whole park, but it is a ride worth waiting for. 

Wet 'n Wild! Dudley Do-Rights Rip Saw Falls

Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, a river raft ride down the wild water rapids, is also a great ride providing you don’t mind getting really wet – and I do mean absolutely soaking. Back in the UK, you can go on river raft rides just like this one without getting wet at all – absolutely no fun whatsoever! 

If you’re looking for thrills then Marvel Superhero Island is the best place to head. Personally, I love nothing more than a giant rollercoaster – the bigger the ride, the better – so this area of the park was a lot of fun. This section featured my favourite ride in the park, The Incredible Hulk coaster, a high speed, twisting and looping rollercoaster that is sure to please any thrill seeker. 

It's a blast! The Incredible Hulk Rollercoaster

The Dragon Challenge coasters in The Wizarding World of Harry potter were pretty exceptional thrill rides, but for the sheer speed, The Hulk coaster clinches the top spot for me. But be warned, if you have never been on this ride before, you may get a bit of surprise when you’re in the tunnel waiting for the ride to begin! Doctor Doom’s Fear Fall was also a great ride that I think deserves a mention. The 150ft drop tower is certainly not the most extravagant ride in the park, but the suspense it builds whilst you are sat at the bottom of the tower waiting to be blasted into the air makes it more nerve-wracking than the biggest coasters in the park! 

Doctor Doom's Fear Fall. Mind the drop!

So whether you are looking for big thrills, a chance to meet and greet your favourite film characters and superheroes, or a chance to experience the magic of Harry Potter, Universal Islands of Adventure ensures a great day out for everyone. 

It's A Kind of Magic: Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter

Last weekend I was lucky enough to visit the Harry Potter studios in London. I have been absolutely dying to go here since it opened so it was all very exciting to actually be there! The tour itself is very much self-guided. You can just walk through the sets at your own pace and the tour guides are simply there on hand if you want to ask any questions. I really enjoyed the fact that you could wander around and enjoy the sets by yourself so you didn’t have to rush and that way you could wait until people moved along so it was a bit quieter! The start of the tour was a little crowded but once left to your own devices it soon quietened down. 

     The very first set you see is the iconic cupboard under the stairs which you get to see whilst waiting in the queue to actually get into the studios. It was a very cool set to see but I was surprised by how small it was! 

The flying car and Ron and Harry’s Hogwarts luggage are also located in the lobby area before you enter, as well as giant pictures of the cast which are hung up around the room. It all gets you very much in the mood to see the rest of the studios. Once you get through the queue, you are taken into a room where you watch a short video about the phenomenon that is Harry Potter, followed by a video featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson who tell you all about the studios they called home for 10 years. Then the tour finally begins as you are taken into the Great Hall. I have to say this was one of my favourite parts of the tour and it is certainly the grandest of all the sets you get to see. I think just seeing the doors into the Hall and walking through it was just the coolest thing (being a mad Harry Potter fan) and it was quite surreal to be stood inside it!

Following the great hall you wander through to the next room which has loads of bits and bobs from the movie to squeal over including Hagrid’s Hut, The Ministry of Magic and the door to the Chamber of Secrets. My personal favourites in this bit were the Gryffindor Common Room, The Burrow, The Potions Classroom and Dumbledore’s Office. Much like the Cupboard under the Stairs, some of these sets were a lot smaller than I expected but the detail that has gone into them is amazing.

When I visited it was the weekend of their Summer Spells event so you could have a go at casting spells, as well as dressing up in the Hogwarts robes and pretending to fly around on a broomstick if you fancied! There was also a very cool section which showcased some of the specially designed props including The Daily Prophet, The Marauder’s Map and Harry’s Hogwarts Letter. Seeing these things up close makes you realise how much detail and effort went into these movies – they were exceptionally cool to see!    Once you’ve navigated your way through the J stage, you proceed into a backlot which is home to some well-known sets including Privet Drive and The Potter’s Cottage. These two sets were also amongst my favourites and I did get a tad over excited when I saw Privet Drive! 

This area also features The Knight Bus, the chess board, Hagrid’s motorbike, the flying car and the Riddles’ grave and you can buy food and drinks here including Butterbeer. I had to try some since I was there and to my surprise I did actually like it! It’s a little bit like an ice cream float so it’s very sweet and not to everyone’s taste…my friend hated it! Once you’ve finished in this area, you move onto the K stage (the stages are appropriately named J and K). This section features a lot of the models that were made including the Goblin’s faces, Dobby and Kreacher, Aragog, Buckbeak and the Dementors. 

The amount of detail that has gone into creating all of these things is amazing. I don’t think you really appreciate how much work went into these films until you see everything that was done to try  and make them as magical as the books.

     Following this, you enter Diagon Alley which I think this was probably my favourite part of the tour. Walking down that cobbled street with all of the shops, including Olivanders, Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and Flourish & Blotts, was amazing and it does make you feel like you’re in the film! The shops windows are decorated with props so they do look very real when you walk by them. Seeing editions of ‘Magical Me’ by Gilderoy Lockhart in the window of Flourish & Blotts and boxes of wands in Olivanders was pretty cool I have to say.

      The final part of the tour is a look at some of the scale models of iconic sets, including The Burrow and Hagrid’s Hut, followed by a look at the actual model of Hogwarts’s Castle that they used in the films. The model of the castle is huge and it is so impressive when you see it. Apparently it took 8 weeks just to move it to its pride of place in the studios so goodness knows how long it took to build. The castle really is amazing and it’s certainly a memorable set to end the tour with. Obviously not all of the sets are there for you to see. You are told by Daniel Radcliffe before you enter the studios - in a video clip, of course. He’s not there to greet people all the time unfortunately! - that a lot of the sets were destroyed straight after filming. But if they did still exist, I would love to have seen Moaning Murtle’s bathroom, The Ministry of Magic courtroom, The Hogwarts Express and the Slytherin Common Room. Following your tour you can then explore the mammoth gift shop. The shop has all kinds of cool gifts but they are extremely overpriced – a chocolate frog was £8.95 – so if you’re wanting something as a token of your studio experience, maybe stick to the cheaper priced items like the postcards, fridge magnets and key rings.      If you love Harry Potter then I guarantee you will absolutely love the tour. Walking through some of the most iconic sets and seeing all of the props is fantastic and it certainly rekindled my love of the movies. It is most definitely worth seeing and I would recommend it to any Potter fan. You’ll have a magical time!

Tour Highlights: Diagon Alley, Privet Drive, The Great Hall and Hogwarts Castle