We Rate Stuff pretty much universally loves Harry Potter at this point. I say at this point because everyone has their own unique story about Harry Potter. Me personally, I read the first three avidly as a middle-schooler when they first came out, but lost interest before the fourth. Matt lost interest waiting for the fifth book, because apparently it was quite a long wait. It took a certain girlfriend for Josh to hit the books, but when he did he did it hard. Ben has just always been into ‘em. Mason, Kaitis, and myself have all finished the series in the past year.

When contributors Mary and Emily came to hang out in FL with us, we figured it’d be a good chance to head up to Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. It cost about $84 each, FL resident or not unfortunately. The line into Potterland was supposedly an hour wait but turned out to be more like 40 minutes. Apparent pro tip: according to employees, the line into that part of the park is empty at 4 p.m.

Walking up to The Wizarding World was actually kind of mind blowing. It’s basically a huge recreation of Hogsmeade, with a few additions. Hogwarts is on a hill to the side, and Dervish and Banges and Ollivander’s are the other shops that are a bit out of place. The buildings themselves are extremely high quality and look fantastically like they do in the movies, snow on the roofs and all. The stonewall design of the buildings and the ground really gave the place that olde England, Dungeon-y feel that one thinks of when considering Hogwarts castle and Hogsmeade. It really is kind of stunning to behold; when you look around at all the employees wearing costumes, vendor stands on the cobblestone ground selling Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice, movie props in the windows of the shoppes, the spires of Hogwarts castle in the background… it’s almost enough to make you feel like you’ve made it to the other side.

There are three rides in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The first one is the Flight of the Hippogriff, a “family roller coaster.” Hippogriffs, in the books, are a sort of griffin-horse animal that flies, and you have to bow and not look it in the eyes to approach it. In line for the ride, there’s a Hippogriff nest with one in it that actually looks pretty cool, as well as Hagrid’s hut, pictured to the right. Part of the way through the line is Hagrid’s voice telling you how to approach the Hippogriff, which Kaitis swears is not done by Robbie Coltrane, but I can’t verify that. The ride is extremely short, probably thirty seconds long or so, but actually goes a good amount faster than I was expecting. If there’s no line and you’re waiting for another line to shorten, this is a great distraction.

The other, better roller coaster ride is Dragon Challenge, which some will know by its old title, Dueling Dragons. They changed the Fire dragon into the Chinese Fireball and the Ice dragon into the Hungarian Horntail, both from the books. I was a bit disappointed that they hadn’t even bothered to paint the roller coaster tracks a new color, they’re exactly the same as they were when it was Dueling Dragons. The colors match, yes, but they’re extremely dull and faded and it takes away from the rest of the display, which is organized to look like the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, complete with Goblet of Fire and Triwizard Cup as well as a cool hallway with “floating candles.” Kaitis wanted to put his name in, but was dismayed when he asked an employee for a slip of paper and was denied one. Kaitis also pointed out that while in the books Cedric Diggory was the favored contestant in the Triwizard Cup and there were “Harry Potter Stinks” buttons going around Hogwarts, there are only support signs for Harry, Fleur, and Viktor Krum. The ride itself is as fun as ever, with the coasters intertwining in thrilling ways multiple times, as well as looping and twisting all over the place. It’s definitely a bit more intense than the Hippogriff ride, so know your limits. Worth it for the displays in line alone, even more worth it once you hit that first drop.

The newest and most impressive ride is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It’s one of those rides where you get in a car on a moving track, except for a large part of the time you’re watching a video and the robotic arm that controls the car moves it around accordingly, and I swear there are times when you actually feel like you’re flying through the air with Harry Potter. When you’re not watching a video you’re actually moving through a track and you get to see cool things from the books like Aragog the enormous spider, Norbert the dragon, the Basilisk skeleton, the Whomping Willow, and even some crazy Dementors. The Forbidden Journey is the best ride in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter because it’s the most Potter-centric exhibit by far. The line up to the ride is especially detailed, with paintings that move and talk to each other, the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore’s office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions classrooms, the Sorting Hat, and more. The Hogwarts castle that the ride takes place in by itself is a marvel, especially at night.

As far as food and beverages go, The Three Broomsticks and The Hog’s Head have got ya covered. There are only six or so meals at The Three Broomsticks, but they’re all amazing. They include rotisserie chicken, ribs, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips, as well as a kids menu and a few other things. I had fish and chips and I’m not sure I’ve ever had better. The fries were crispy and made of real potatoes and the fish tasted super fresh and was meaty and delicious. The Hog’s Head has a variety of beers, including Hog’s Head beer, which Josh called “very hoppy with a nice reddish tint, very bitter, too.” Also at The Hog’s Head, as well as on the streets of Hogsmeade, you can purchase Butterbeer, the drink from the books that I’d be willing to say everyone has wanted to try at some point. Turns out it’s basically Cream Soda with a rich butterscotch cream on top. It’s also one of the best drinks I’ve ever had, somehow. You can get Butterbeer at about $4, or Frozen Butterbeer for some change more. We all agreed that it was a shame it wasn’t sold anywhere else. Equally incredible was Pumpkin Juice, which was tart and tangy, made out of an apple cider base with a brisk but powerful pumpkin flavor, and almost worth the $6.25 price tag it came with.

Dervish and Banges, the magical items sales and repair shop, is packed with various souvenirs like brooms, robes, clothing, Golden Snitches, Marauder’s Maps, Spectrespecs, and even Remembralls. Honeydukes is, of course, the candy shop. The list of candies from the stories is enormous (and can be found here) and includes Acid Pops, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizzbees, Ice Mice, and many others. Any type of candy you can think of you can get there. Zonko’s Joke Shop has, well, joke items and toys, like inflatable tongues, screaming yo-yo’s, and Sneakoscopes. Owl Post, the exit to Ollivander’s, has post-cards and stationary of all sorts, and even has USPS-approved stamps from the Ministry of Magic, stamps with the Hogwarts crest, and stamps with the Owl Post logo. All of these are great to experience as a fan, but they all end up as gift shops in the end. And the prices are Universal Studios sized. The lines to get in can be an hour long, as well. But hey, browsing is free.

Ollivander’s Wand Shop, which isn’t actually in Hogsmeade but apparently has a branch there, is the best shop in The Wizarding World. If you choose to embark on “The Ollivander’s Experience,” you go in with about 20 people, and one person is picked to be chosen by a wand. If they try the wrong one, negative things happen, like thunder noises and flowers wilting. If you get the right one, a lamp lights up, and you can choose whether or not to buy it. From there you can buy the wands of multiple characters, such as Sirius Black, Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy, or you can buy a wand based on your birthdate on the Celtic calendar. The wands are $30, which I thought was surprisingly cheap, based on how high quality the wands were. They felt fantastically solid and sturdy, they were really heavy in the hand, exactly like you’d hope a wand would be. If they’d had my birthday’s wand, I would have gotten it for sure, barring unforeseen lameness.

Overall, the park is a great success, as far as we’re concerned. It’s slightly more reminiscent of the movies than the books, but the experience is still something to behold for a fan of the series. Just the Butterbeer is enough for me to want to go back. The atmosphere is exceedingly pleasant and it really puts you into a neat Harry Potter mindset that makes you feel truly on vacation. If you’re on the fence about it, I’d encourage you to check it out. And if you’re a woman, let us know if Moaning Myrtle really does haunt the Ladies’ Room like Emily says.

All photos by Josh Rees © 2010