Northgate Residents’ Travel Adventures
Pottering Around Universal Studios Orlando Resort By Kevin Moore, Resident since 1991
Most people traveling to Orlando, Florida do so with a primary intention in mind – to experience the thrills of the theme parks. The Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios resorts offer the opportunity to suspend belief and enter worlds of imagination. At Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Islands of Adventure, you can race through the streets of New York City with Jimmy Fallon, transform into a Minion, escape dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, and frolic amongst the characters of Dr. Seuss. Those two parks also offer the opportunity to enter the pages of J. K. Rowling’s world of magic at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions. At Universal Studios Orlando, wannabe wizards and witches can pass through a London backdrop through a brick wall to Diagon Alley and find the stores and shops of the Potter universe come to life. You can drink butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron or grab an ice cream from Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour. If you are more disposed to the dark side of magic, you can travel down Knockturn Alley. You can get your wand at Ollivanders and walk through the streets performing feats of magic – certain elements within Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley receive remote control frequencies from the purchased wand to perform your magic. If you cannot get control of your wand, a knowledgeable witch or wizard (park employee) is near-by you assist in your tutelage. This “world” is a sight, and more important to the illusion, you cannot see any other portion of the park while in the heart of Diagon Alley. The most breathtaking portion of Diagon Alley is the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride. Set inside the wizard bank Gringotts, the pre-ride line takes you to the entry hall of the bank where goblin bankers tend to their tasks only somewhat perturbed by your intrusion. You then meet Bill Weasley who is there with a goblin banker to take you on a tour of the Gringotts vaults. During your tour, you encounter Ron, Hermione, and Harry who help you escape the clutches of Lord Voldemorte, Bellatrix Lestrange, and the Gringotts dragon. The ride is a thrillpacked 3-D motion simulator combined with a roller coaster, providing an unforgettable experience for both the Potter fan and the non-Potter fan. Once done with Diagon Alley, and if the witch or wizard possesses a Park-to-Park admission pass, you can proceed to King’s Cross Station to find Platform 9 ¾ to board the Hogwarts Express. This ride takes you from the Universal Studios Park to the Universal Islands of Adventure Park or vice versa. All riders need to have the Park-to-Park admission pass to ride. During our visit, some unfortunate parents had purchased single park, multiple day tickets which allowed them to only visit one park each day, thereby eliminating any opportunity to partake in this
Kevin is ready to board the Hogwarts Express
ride. On board, the riders move from London through the English countryside to Hogsmeade. Along the way, Ron, Hermione, and Harry pass along the corridor of the train, Dementors and Hagrid fly outside your window, and then Hagrid either welcomes you to or bids you farewell from Hogsmeade. Upon disembarking from the train, you proceed into the wizarding village of Hogsmeade with its perpetual decoration of roofs covered in snow despite the fact that it was over 97 degrees with 95 percent humidity on the day we visited in August. The visual sightlines at Hogsmeade are not as good as Diagon Alley, as neighboring The Lost Continent is visible when leaving Hogsmeade Station and Jurrasic Park can be seen from the other entrance near Hogswarts Castle. In Hogsmeade, witches and wizards can get their wands at another location of Ollivanders and dine at both the Hog’s Head and the Three Broomsticks. There is also a short rollercoaster, Flight of the Hippogriff, set by Hagrid’s cottage with a tethered Buckbeak nearby. The real attraction in Hogsmeade, however, lies within Hogwarts Castle, specifically the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. In the pre-ride show, Ron, Hermione, and Harry agree to lead the muggles on a tour of Hogwarts and to take them to a quidditch game by use of enchanted benches in the Room of Requirements. The ride is another 3-D motion simulator combined with a roller coaster. Once aboard the enchanted bench, the muggles encounter a dragon, Aragog, the Whomping Willow, Dementors while flying through the Hogwarts grounds, the Forbidden Forest, a quidditch match, and the Chamber of
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NOVEMBER 2018
