As a HUGE Harry Potter fan, I'm not sure how it's taken me this long to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I know many of you are hoping to visit too, so I thought I'd share my experience and a few tips!

We went on a Tuesday in February and got there before the park opened, and it was still pretty crowded! I honestly would NOT want to go back in the summer, but I also have a pretty low tolerance for crowds and heat.

There are two parts of the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWHOP) in Orlando, so you have to buy a park hopper ticket if you'd like to visit both. I think it's definitely worth doing, because having a park hopper ticket is also the only way you can go on the Hogwarts Express, which is pretty neat unto itself!

We started in Hogsmeade, which is in the Islands of Adventure part of Universal Studios. Following the internet's advice, we headed straight to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and got in line. Even though we got there before the park opened, there was still about a 45 minute wait because those with express passes get to skip the line and go first. The line is actually part of the experience, as you start by waiting in the "greenhouses" outside and then wind throughout Hogwarts, where there's tons to see, from a holographic Dumbledore to talking portraits. That being said, if I were to go again or had kids I would definitely get the express passes! The ride itself was pretty neat! You got into a seat like it was a traditional roller coast, but it was sort of a hybrid-- there was a lot of VR stuff going on too. It was actually kind of scary, but I was smiling the whole time despite being very prone to motion sickness. For some reason I missed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sneaking you out of Hogwarts. It was great!

After a quick stop for coffee and our first butterbeers of the day, we headed to the Hogwarts Express, again per the internet's advice. There was barely any line (this is NOT the case later in the day) and we got to hop on the train pretty quickly. The train looks JUST like the movie, and it's really cool getting to sit in one the train carriages. The window of your carriage is actually a screen, and you get to see what Harry would see. There's also some other effects going on, and you get to hear Harry, Ron, and Hermione out in the corridor. When you get off the train, you arrive at King's Cross Station and go out into the muggle world-- I was pretty impressed that they recreated that part! You'll see the Knight Bus and a telephone booth, among other things. Then, you enter Diagon Alley! It's really, really amazing, but we saved the shopping for later and went right to the Escape from Gringotts ride. The line for this ride wasn't quite as entertaining, but it was still neat to see the Gringotts goblins! The ride itself is similar to the Forbidden Journey in that it's a mix of motion and a 3D experience-- you actually wear 3D glasses for this one.

After the ride, we explored Diagon Alley! This area is way bigger than Hogsmeade and is filled with shops straight from the books and movies. We had lunch at The Leaky Cauldron after waiting in a not-too-terrible line. I had the fish and chips and a cold butterbeer with a shot of fire whiskey (recommended to me on Instagram!). I'm pescatarian and that was about the only option available. They do have a veggie platter, which my friend got, but it didn't look great. If you're full vegetarian or have other dietary restrictions, you might want to do some more research beforehand. You can easily leave the WWOHP portion of the park and head somewhere else in the park for lunch if you like.

The main thing to do in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley is browse the shops! They did a pretty good job of recreating aspects of the shops from the series while still filling them with purchasable merchandise. For example, Madam Malkin's has dress forms with robes, while also having actual clothing you can buy. I wasn't tempted by too much, except a Hedwig plush backpack, which I didn't buy, and a Weasley sweater with the letter F (my last name is Forst), which I did buy! After exploring Diagon Alley-- don't forget to check out Knockturn Alley too!-- we took the train back to Hogsmeade to peruse the shops there, since we didn't earlier in the day. The line to get back on the Hogwarts Express was SO long, so keep that in mind before you head back! We actually ended up heading back to Diagon Alley a second time later because my sister and I wanted those Weasley sweaters!

It was a super fun day and definitely lived up to my expectations! A few random notes for you:

*You can't bring a bag or purse onto the rides. They have free lockers for you to use, but it ends up slowing you down because it's another line to wait in. I wore my fanny pack and kept everyone's phones and cards in it, which allowed us to skip the locker line.

*Everyone told us to buy an interactive wand, but we didn't end up doing it. The wands are about $50 and you can use them at magic spots throughout the park. At first we didn't want to get one just because the line at Ollivander's was so long, but then we saw people using them and just didn't really feel the need to get one. All the spots end up with a line of like 10 ten kids waiting their turn and I was just kind of sick of lines!

*You would think all the merchandise is the same in both parts of the park, but it's actually not! Don't make my Weasley sweater mistake and end up having to take the train back just to get the souvenir you want.

*The dragon on top of Gringotts breathes fire every ten minutes on the zero (10:30, 10:40, etc.), if you want to time it to get a photo!

If you're a Potterhead like me, check out these 11 Magical Harry Potter Ideas for the Classroom and my comprehensive Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Novel Study for Elementary and Special Education!

Visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter