The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I just got back from an incredible trip with Zahara. She turns 11 this summer, and as a huge Harry Potter fan, I knew the perfect gift for her would be a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks in Orlando! It was even better than I expected!

We spent four days and three nights at Universal's Endless Summer Resort--Surfside Inn and Suites. The hotel worked out perfectly. Staying onsite at one of the more budget friendly hotels was terrific. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the staff was friendly, and the shuttles to/from the parks were frequent and convenient. We also loved cooling off in the pool after a long day at the parks.

Earlier this spring I enlisted my amazing sister-in-law Amy to help with the surprise for Z. Amy designed a letter from Professor McGonagall welcoming Zahara to Hogwarts. We printed a bunch of copies and put them around the fireplace.

It's hard to tell who was more excited--me or Zahara. We both were giddy with anticipation for our trip. We bought Harry Potter shirts and borrowed an interactive wand from a friend. We read blogs and books on how to best approach our time there. After all that research, I decided the best approach would be to go with the flow. I wasn't anticipating riding most of the rides and had no must-see attractions, other than the parks themselves. That attitude served us very well during our trip. It was one of the least stressful trips I've been on.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

Universal Studios Florida

Diagon Alley is incredible. I honestly felt like I was in the books. The level of detail on every store front and display was awesome. Feeling the dragon breathe fire was a real experience! The Tale of Beedle the Bard was worth the stop. We did the Ollivander experience and there were only four of us in the room. Zahara and I both got selected by the wandmaker. Such fun! We didn't purchase the wands, but it was well worth the time.

We purchased a park-to-park ticket and I 100% recommend that! The Hogwarts Express alone is worth it. It's just a fun ride and is different in each direction. But more than that, we loved the freedom of being able to hop around and explore at our own pace. If lines were long in one park, we could just hop over to the other one.

The best thing in Harry Potter World was the frozen butterbeer. I can't describe how delicious and refreshing this drink is! We shared one a day and it was a highlight of the trip.

Seuss Landing was whimsical and more fun than I expected. We spent most of our time in the Harry Potter world, but we did explore the other parts of the parts too. The Cat in the Hat ride was adorable and the If I Ran a Zoo was fun. 

Minion Villain-Con ride was fine, but the line leading up to it was so clever. The posters, booths, and advertisements for bad guys was adorable. 

We did the Men in Black ride on the last day. I had fun shooting the aliens. Again, the line leading up to the ride was filled with fun scenes. I liked the breakroom and the supervisor's office.

The Bourne Stuntacular show was amazing. The effects were incredible. You don't need to have seen the movies to appreciate the show, but if you're a fan there are so many fun pop-outs. Warning for sensitive folks, Z hated the show because there were too many flashing lights, loud sounds, and 4D surprises. 

There's so much more to cover about our trip, but this is getting long enough. I'll report more in a second post. Suffice it to say, it was an incredible trip and I am eternally grateful for the one-on-one time with my favorite daughter :)