Islands of Adventure: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I’d really love to gush about how super-awesomely fantastically incredible the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is. Honestly.

I just can’t bring myself to do it. You know what I would rather do than relive my memories of this place? I would rather eat cake. This cake. Right here.

This is a good and pleasing cake.

Wizarding World is not a good and pleasing place.

…

Nah, just (sort of) kidding. It’s alright, but not as fun as I hoped. And the job of today’s entry is to tell you exactly why.

OH BOY SO EXCITING YOU’RE AS EXCITED AS I AM RIGHT?!

And then the excitement goes out the window when you see how insanely crowded the place is. THERE ARE…

PEOPLE!

ABSOLUTELY!

EVERYWHERE!

FUCK!

And therein lies the problem with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s not very large and there are way too many people in it. My father and I made sure to go to this section first thing in the morning. By the time we got there it had already become flooded in a horrifying sea of pink flesh.

You want to have fun with Harry Potter? You BETTER be here as soon as the park opens.

To those wanting to partake of any of this area’s glory be prepared to wait in line. Long lines. For everything. Want to go on a ride? Get in line. Want to eat? Get in line. Want to buy stuff? Get in line. I was expecting lines for the grub and rides, but for the stores as well? That’s just nutty!

I tried to venture inside one store but it didn’t end so well. The experience could probably be best compared to getting stuffed inside an overcrowded bullet train in Japan. (At least I like to think it’s like that) I JUST WANTED TO BUY A TIN ROBOT!

…there are tin robots in Harry Potter, right? I’ve only read up to the fourth book so I’m not too sure.

After you get over the shock of seeing so many pale white humans jam packed into a single place you’ll start to notice all the really cool things around. There are oodles of shops to choose from, with each looking like it was ripped right out of a cozy little corner in jolly old England.

They even went through the trouble of recreating the Hogwarts Express, though it doesn’t work and you can’t ride it.

Lots of love and attention went into every corner of this area. (After all, it was planned to be the Islands’ new cash cow. AND BOY IS IT A SUCCESS!) Even this weird…water fountain ash tray thingamajig looks like it’s from some weird fantasy realm.

Just check out that trash can! I wonder if it’s made of magic. WIZARD magic!

When I first entered the area it felt as if I had left Jurassic Park and wandered into one of my many beloved Japanese role playing games. Just look at those cobblestone streets, looming castle spires, and ye olde fashionede woode buildingse withe snowe coverede roofeses. Totally had Final Fantasy VII town music playing in my head the whole time.

Unlike the Lost Continent and it’s disappointing lack of things to do, the Wizarding World has several rides and events for you to enjoy.

Remember what I mentioned in the Lost Continent article? Two of the area’s rides were “lost” when the medieval section was torn down in favor of turning it into a Harry Potter island. Dueling Dragons and the Flying Unicorn have been reworked into Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff.

I don’t know why they changed “Dueling Dragons” to “Dragon Challenge”. Dueling Dragons is such a cooler name. :/

For those not into rides the area also offers small performances by “authentic Hogwarts students”. They’ll come out every now and then to show off their cool threads and sing a few songs a capella style.

I had tried to get a picture of the whole group while they were performing but too many inconsiderate guests got in the way of my camera. Fortunately I was still able to snag a shot of one of the students. Check out that robe. Aren’t you jealous? (I’m more jealous of that gorgeous hair color.)

After you’re done running around like the ecstatic fan you are you can stop for a bit of food and drink. How about a cold mug of butterbeer?

Yes, the famed brew can be yours for a reasonable price! Shell out a few extra bucks for a collectable plastic mug. You’re probably wondering if butterbeer is good, and I’m pleased to tell you that it is…in small doses. The problem with this drink is that it’s absurdly sweet. Have you ever had cream soda? It tastes almost exactly like that, except even more sweet. This is definitely a drink you’ll want to split with someone.

As if the drink itself wasn’t sweet enough you’ve also got this bizarre sugary “foam” coating on the top to deal with. No clue what it actually is. The actual drink doesn’t foam up. Instead they add this stuff separately from a second vat.

If this doesn’t sound appealing to you then you’re in luck! Check out this other beverage you can buy at your local friendly Wizarding World of Harry Potter:

You don’t even have to wait in line to get this stuff!

…I wonder if it’s because this stuff is really that horrible or people are just scared of the name “pumpkin juice”?

Well, there you go. There’s the Harry Potter section in some of its glory. Would’ve loved to get more pictures…and in fact I did have more pictures! But most of those consisted of the backs of peoples heads as they walked in front of my camera. How rude.

COMING UP NEXT: LOTS OF MUSCULAR MEN IN EXTREMELY TIGHT CLOTHING

Part 1: Port of Entry
Part 2: Seuss Landing
Part 3: Toon Lagoon
Part 4: Matt Hoffman’s Aggro Circus
Part 5: The Lost Continent & Jurassic Park
Part 6: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter <— YOU ARE HERE
Part 7: Marvel Super Hero Island

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