When I went to Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando in Jan. I thought I’d be doing a walk down Memory Lane. Yes, years ago we took our then small children to see and experience this thrilling place.

Returning with grand children I thought I’d be flooded with all kinds of memories. Nope. Other than the Cinderella Castle, Magic Tea Cups and the Haunted House, it all looked new and different. I suspect it is.

Universal Studios provided even fewer memories. We focused on the newer Harry Potter World, high on the list of priorities for my two grand daughters and me.

It was fun. I loved seeing children and adults meandering Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in their robes, burgundy and gold striped scarves while waving wands. More about the wands later.

Since it can be pretty bewildering and you may not have a lot of time, let me share what I learned.

Tips for Enjoying Harry Potter

First, you do have to buy a two-park pass, which makes it quite expensive so it is best to maximize your time. Express tickets add more cost but in our case, the lines were quite short so not needed.

My first bit of advice is to go to Diagon Alley which is in Universal Studios. Get there before the park opens so you are at the beginning of the line and then head directly to Diagon Alley which is at the far end of the park. Don’t dawdle. Go right to Harry Potter and Escape from Gringotts ride. Be aware they don’t let you take a back pack or a purse on the ride but they do have lockers to check them. if you want small items with you, be sure to wear clothes with lots of pockets. Nope, couldn’t take my Nikon for photos but frankly it was too scary for me to concentrate on anything other than the ride.

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

Part of the fun is seeing what you see while in the line—walking through the cavernous bank hall to see the bankers at work and making our way around to where the ride starts. Don’t miss a chance to look and see it all.

Then get your wand. This is fun. We went to Ollivanders Wand Shop for the Wand Experience. Think the scene in the book/movie where Harry gets his wand. “The wand picks the wizard” is the theme. My grand daughter got picked to have a wand chosen for her. She was thrilled. It’s very clear when the “Wand chooses the Wizard” in this experience.  They do sell wands at stores, but this experience was terrific. Don’t miss it. Again, we were there early so no wait.

After purchasing the wand the girls had fun looking for the interactive spots in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade to use it. Yep, you can do magic with your wand although some times it was hard to get the magic trick to work but then we were new to the world of wizardry.   That’s why young witches and wizards to go school.

After stopping to marvel at the fire breathing dragon we then headed to the Kings Cross Train Station to ride to Hogsmeade, in the other park. If you do this, be sure to watch people go through Platform 9 3/4. If you start looking when you come up the stairs, you’ll see people seem to vanish through the brick.  I tried capturing a photo but couldn’t get a good one.  Needed more time and a tripod. Here’s my attempt.

The train ride to the Hogwarts Wizardry School felt real. The effects in the train car were clever and our girls enthralled. It sets the tone for arriving at Hogsmeade. In fact you want to go both ways on the train because the experience each way is different.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

At Hogsmeade I felt a chill, purely psychological. I think it was the snow on the crooked roofs. Felt a bit like  ski resorts like Vail. When we got off the train we headed right to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey  at Hogwarts. It was even better than Gringotts. I wish I had done it twice. Not only is the ride thrilling but the walk through the school to get to it is a significant part of the experience. You enjoy the talking portraits, Albus Dumbledore giving advice to new students and the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

After the interesting walk through Hogwarts, we were asked by the the guides  how many “muggles” were in our party.  They helped us get loaded into the carts for the ride. I felt very snug and secure. It’s a good thing because the ride which started with “floo” travel, was well beyond description for a non-theme park person like me. Talk about scary! I have to admit the best part of the ride was swooping about the Quidditch field on a broomstick. Thrilling. Made me want to buy a Firebolt and take up the sport.

While my daughter and grand daughters did another ride, I got a real kick out of the performance of the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students in the square. If you recall, they are from other schools of Wizardry.

Then we headed back on the train to Diagon Alley where we met up with the rest of the family for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and time to meander.  This worked out well because son-in-law Bruce and three year old grandson Burke were able to enjoy a morning in the park while I was with my daughter and two grand daughters enjoying Harry Potter.  Burke was too young for Harry Potter.

On our way out, we made a call to the Ministry of Magic in the red phone booth and marveled at the Knight Bus. Feeling really weary, I would have loved to have crawled into one of the bus’s beds  for a nap.

Last bit of advice

Be sure to watch the Harry Potter movies—actually the first four would be ideal—before you go. You’ll appreciate the experience more if you do.