I've been itching to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter ever since I heard that it was being created. I knew that it would be unlikely for me to make a trip to Orlando just to go there, so I figured now was a good time to go. Raisin Bread thought it was a good idea as well even though he isn't a Harry Potter fan.
It's too bad that the only real reason anyone seems to go to Islands of Adventure is to visit Harry Potter. It makes for an insanely crowded experience. I felt like I was back at home trying to get on the Metro. Not extremely pleasant. But as the crazy Harry Potter fan that I am (I would pre-order the UK versions on Amazon so I could read the books as they were intended), I loved being able to walk through Hogsmeade and wander the halls of Hogwarts.
By the time we go into the park, it was time for lunch. That meant a meal at the Three Broomsticks, which had a surprisingly short line. I ordered a glass of Butterbeer and the shepherd's pie. The Butterbeer was magical! Now, I wish I had ordered a glass of frozen Butterbeer later on in the day.
After lunch, we made our way slowly towards Hogwarts Castle to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Such a cool ride!
We spent the rest of our time in this part of the park wandering around. We caught some of the Frog Choir.
I love signs so I couldn't help taking a picture of every sign in Hogsmeade (and a snowman).
We also went into a number of the boutiques like Honeydukes and the Owl Post. Again, loved being able to see these places come to life!
Then we said goodbye to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. One thing that I noticed and wanted to pass on to others who might visit was that the lines for the Butterbeer carts were insane. Butterbeer is also sold at The Hogs Head Pub. When I went inside, there was a line of about seven people while the carts were about 30 people deep. So poke your head into the Hogs Head before getting into line at a cart!
The rest of our day was spent at Seuss Landing. Neither of us feel good enough to ride roller coasters anymore so riding cute kiddy rides sounded like a great alternative. It was a nice juxtaposition: one series of books from my childhood and another set from my adulthood, both come to life.
And while we might be old, we can still be a couple of goofballs.
We found a spot in Seuss Landing to get on our smartphones again and booked a hotel in Tampa for the next two nights. We left Orlando behind and visited a Sweet Tomatoes on the road to Tampa before hitting the sack.
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