We've been talking about this day since
we read/listened to all 7 books in 2020...
it's time to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!
We took advantage of our early admission
and charged into the park to get this party started!
We started in Islands of Adventure,
the Hogsmeade side.
Our first ride--
The Forbidden Journey
which is basically the best of all things Hogwarts.
The line to the ride (which was non-existent!)
wound through Hogwarts Castle.
We got to see the door to Dumbledore's office
and the Sorting Hat
The ride was great--
we played Quidditch,
got chased by a dragon (which Beckett hated)
and were haunted by Dementors (which Mom hated).
It was a great kick off to week.
We roamed around a bit, taking in the sites,
rode the Flight of the Hippogriff
(which always had a surprisingly long wait,
even with our Express Pass)
Hagrid's Motorbike was what we REALLY wanted to ride,
but the the wait was over an hour
so we decided to take the Hogwarts Express
over to Diagon Alley.
Here it comes!
All tucked in to our car
We decided to start from the beginning
and head out to the London waterfront.
We tried to call the Ministry of Magic
but the line wasn't working
Guess we should go get a wand
and see if we can fix it!
It took some of us a long time to pick a wand.
A lovely witch helped us sort through them all.
Mom debated over several different wands
that go with your birth month and personality.
In the end, she went with Herminone's.
She said teacher's pets should stick together.
Weston jumped on his quickly--
vine = energetic, persistant, restless.
Beck got willow--resilient, confident and strong
(it was his birthday wand and a pretty great fit)
Jack SHOULD have got reed--
articulate, steadfast, sarcastic, funny--
but he ended up with birch only because
it was the most plain-looking wand.
I got Harry Potter's.
It was a no-brainer.
Now, it was time to put them to use
It wasn't as easy as you'd like to think
to cast all those spells
A nice witch took us under her wing
and showed us a few tricks
and even showed us a few unmarked spells
hidden around Diagon Alley
It was a bit frustrating at times
but really fun when you got it.
We made feathers float,
lights turn on,
fountains spit,
books open,
and flowers grow.
Time to take on Gringotts
Glasses on...
...we're ready to escape!
That was a good one!
We grabbed some shepherd's pie and fish and chips
at The Leaky Cauldron
and then headed to King's Cross
to catch the train back to Hogsmeade.
We had to maneuver Platform 9 3/4
(the video is really cool!)
and headed back over
because it was finally time to ride Hagrid's!!!
We had some beers and butter beers in the line
and before we knew it,
we were ON THE RIDE!
It was absolutely worth the wait.
Crazy turns, awesome accelerations--
it. was. AWESOME!
After that, we felt like we had done
Harry Potter World right
so we headed into the rest of the park
to see what Islands of Adventure had to offer.
Jurassic Park?
Yes, please!
Jack and Beck weren't ready for this one yet
and I was too short
so we headed to the Discovery Center
to see some baby dinosaurs
while Mom, Dad and Wes
took on the VelociCoaster
The staging for this one was cool too--
that raptor was thrashing all over the place!
They said that one was incredible too--
inversions over water and crazy accelerations.
That felt like a good way to end the day
so we decided to hit the waterside
and heated pool
and, of course, the hot tub
before we headed to dinner
at the insane Toothsome Chocolate Emporium.
This is the gift shop
so you can only imaging the craziness on the menu!
They are known for their milkshakes--
topped with entire pieces of pie, cake and cookie sandwiches
We had to roll out of there.
I may have slept through dinner and dessert
(vacation is hard).
A great first day!
