One more Potter post… Cookies!
This last post about my trip to Harry Potter World will focus on Hogsmeade in general and the two most colorful shops on the block: Honeydukes and Zonkos.
Hogsmeade village was totally charming. Despite the Harry Potter World being in Florida, the snow covered rooftops and icicles hanging from the windows add a definite extra bit of magic. I loved how many of the chimneys are crooked and how there are detailed shop windows as you stroll down the street. The attention to detail in the buildings is truly amazing!
Honeydukes is definitely one of the most dazzling candy shops I’ve ever been in! The bright green and pink paint are perfectly suited to the glass jars of candy and delectable goodies they have for sale. There are shelves upon shelves of Chocolate Frogs. Boxes and boxes of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Sugar quills, Ton-Tongue Toffee, Pepper Imps, Peppermint Toads… They had so many different types of candy straight out of the books. The Cauldron Cakes were especially cool looking (but I didn’t get a picture of them). They were chocolate cauldrons that looked like they had green icing/foam bubbling out of the top.
My only complaint about Honeydukes is how expensive it was. A single Chocolate Frog costs $12. A small box of Bertie’s Beans costs $10. In fact, I don’t think I saw anything under $10… I would guess going into a shop like that with small children would be every parent’s worst nightmare.
Zonko’s Joke Shop was equally colorful with lots of quirky games and toys. They have fluffy toy Pygmy Puffs, You-No-Poo, and Extendable Ears among loads of others. I kind of wish I’d bought an Extendable Ear. The box said they extend up to 12 feet, and it looks like it’s a rubbery, fleshy ear with a microphone inside and a long cord that leads to a small box with an earbud attached. Pretty cool how they managed to create that, though it looks less inconspicuous than how I imagined the Weasley’s version in the books.
And finally, while I found the walkthrough Hogwarts to be very fun, I couldn’t help but imagine a Hogwarts ride kind of like the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney. I’d love to get a FULL tour of Hogwarts through classrooms, the House common rooms, etc. with ghosts drifting by and staircases changing and portraits talking. To me, that would be the perfect Hogwarts ride (not that Forbidden Journey wasn’t totally awesome, but it was more of a “let’s scare you and whip you around” type ride).
Coming soon… My review of Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly!
A lot of people say to skip Ollivander’s because it’s a quick little attraction and typically has a much longer wait. But I’d already resigned myself to the fact that I’d be waiting in lines all day (it was a holiday weekend and quite crowded). And I figured if I came all the way down here, then I’m not skipping anything! I didn’t want to miss something and regret it later. So yeah, the line for Ollivander’s was long (I think our wait was over an hour). And yeah, the attraction is only 5-7 minutes. But I’m still glad I saw it!
If you think back to the first HP movie and when Harry gets his wand, this attraction very much tries to recreate that experience. One person from the audience is chosen by Ollivander (our Ollivander was a very good actor and charming fellow) to hold different wands and instructed to wave them about. Strange things happen when the wands are waved in the shop, similar to how it was for Harry. It’s fun and cute and one of the few calm attractions in the park. And what I loved was feeling like I was in the Wizarding World for even just a few minutes.
So I’d vote against skipping Ollivander’s. Grab a butterbeer or pumpkin juice to sip while you’re in line. Play a silly game with the people you’re with (like “I Spy” or the alphabet game with Harry Potter characters).
And people say only kids get chosen by Ollivander, but in our group it was a 20-something girl in the front instead of a kid in the front. I think the real key is just being up front!
I did end up buying a wand. One of my brothers was making fun of me saying I was paying $30 for a stick. And that he would go outside when he got home and pick up his own “wand” off the ground for free.
The Bludgers were fighting to get out!
The Monster Book of Monsters!
There are owls up in the rafters!
EVERYONE was buying wands. Hogwarts scarves and wands are by far the two most popular souvenirs. Everyone was walking around the park, waving their newly purchased wands and feeling so magically cool. But… it’d be awesome if they had an attraction that USED your wand! How cool would it be to have a “Charms Classroom Experience” where you get to enter a Hogwarts Charms classroom and have a 15 minute lesson on how to perform a few basic spells (Wingardium Leviosa?). If you didn’t have a wand, you could borrow one, but it might not “work properly.” The classroom could be rigged to follow with the pace of the lesson/instructor so that different magical things (floating feathers or explosions) happened throughout the lesson when students started waving their wands.
I definitely think an attraction like this is possible, and I think the park needs more of this kind of attraction. The rides were all thrill/scary/intense rides, but we Harry Potter fans really want to feel like we’re in the world J.K. Rowling created. We want to pretend we’re wizards for the day. The thrills and roller coasters are fun, but I’d much rather experience Hogwarts firsthand.
If you head down to Harry Potter World, you have to hit the castle first. Anyone who’s been there will agree with me. You avoid the long lines, you go on Forbidden Journey before eating, and you start the day with awesomeness.
There are two things I can say that Universal Studios did well: the attention to detail in the construction of the buildings and creating rides that are a thrill.
Hogwarts Castle is definitely the standout feature of the park. You can see it from anywhere in Universal Studios (it’s that huge), but you don’t fully appreciate the astounding detail until you get up close. From each angle you notice something different. The beauty of it is breathtaking. Below are some pictures from various angles to illustrate my point.
A mine cart ride through the underground vaults at Gringotts. The ride could begin with a line that winds though the inside of a big marble bank interior “to speak with one of the goblins and request to access your vault.” Then you hop in a mine cart and zoom through tunnels and caverns past vaults filled with Galleons and Sickles and Knuts. Maybe a waterfall that flips you upside down… And of course a dragon! Seriously, this scene/location from the books begs to be made into a ride.
I’m going to be missing from the blogosphere for the next week because I’m going to Harry Potter World in Orlando, Florida!!! I’m stoked. I’ve been bugging my family to go since it opened and we’re finally doing it (and a week before my birthday, how awesome is that?!?!) My grandparents also live down in Florida during the winter and I’ll get to spend some quality time with them, too. Plus, 80 degree weather is way better than 20 degree weather. I am definitely going to need it, because this week I’m working two 14-hour workdays because of parent conferences.
So I won’t be around much. All I’ll have is my iPhone for internet access.
I’m excusing myself from writing this week, which hopefully means I’ll knock a few books out and post some reviews when I get back.
And I’ll definitely have pics and a full review of Harry Potter World! Wheeeee!
Anyone been to HP World already and have some tips to share?