Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster
This coaster is the perfect coaster for a first-time coaster rider. With gentle swoops and turns as you tour Woodys nut factory, little ones dont have to worry about any scary drops or monsters jumping out.
Who loves it? Kids and adults will enjoy this fun little coaster. If you have older adults like grandmas and grandpas who cant manage motion simulated rides anymore, some of these tamer rides might be right up their alley.
Height Requirements?Minimum height is 36 but anyone under 48 will need to have a supervising companion.
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Hogsmeade: A History
The first slice of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was announced by Universal in May 2007, after author J.K. Rowling signed a deal to bring her popular book and film franchise to Islands of Adventure, the second theme park at Universal Orlando Resort. The new lands development and construction would be overseen by two Harry Potter movie franchise alumni Stuart Craig, the production designer of all eight installments, and Alan Gilmore, the art director for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire . Ground would break on the project that summer, with a scheduled opening date of late 2009.
The news could not have come at a better time for Universal between 2004 and 2007, attendance had been dropping at its resort, with many criticizing the company for not introducing new excitement after completing its Orlando expansion just a few years before . In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, the president of Universal Orlando, Bill Davis, stated that we think is going to have a huge impact on all our constituencies: our guests, our team members, our management team everybody. This is absolutely huge. Were just thrilled and excited we were selected for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The plans Ive seen look incredibly exciting, Rowling herself said in a prepared statement. I dont think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Take a spin on this ride as you choose which fish you want to sit in. You can choose when you go up and when you go down, but listen to the instructions if you want to avoid getting wet in the process.
Who loves it? Everyone seems willing to give this a shot at least once, but dont be surprised if your littlest ones keep asking to do it again and again and again.
Height Requirements?Theres no minimum height, but anyone under 48 will need to have a supervising companion.
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Christmas Comes To The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter At Universal Theme Parks
Het is ook de thuisbasis van het beroemde Three Broomsticks Restaurant en Hogs Head Pub, waar bezoekers kunnen genieten van Butterbeer of bieren en originele sterke dranken die speciaal voor het park zijn gemaakt. Door de hele stad kunnen parkbezoekers genieten van verschillende winkels die Harry zelf bezocht in de boeken en films, zoals Honeydukes en Olivanders Wand Shop.
De attracties zijn vergelijkbaar met die van Orlando, zoals de Hippogriff-achtbanen van Harry Potter. Ook verkrijgbaar is de nieuwe Forbidden 3D-HD ride, die gebruik maakt van een Quidditch 3D-bril om rijders onder te dompelen in het verhaal van Harry en zijn bende.
Er gaan geruchten dat dit nieuwe avontuur mensen ziek maakt, maar misschien speelt de Weasley-tweeling gewoon.
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The Nighttime Lights At Hogwarts Castle
As the stars begin to rise over Hogsmeade, the magic continues as the iconic Hogwarts castle is completely transformed into a stunning spectacle of light and sound!
The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle is a breath-taking experience, with state-of-the-art projection mapping, and special effects wrapping Hogwarts castle in celebration of its four houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
Embrace your Hogwarts pride as each house is honoured in a dazzling display set to enchanting music based on the original scores from the Harry Potter films.
Catch The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle on select nights.
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Phase : Universal Studios Florida
The opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter saw attendance at Islands of Adventure rise by as much as 36% in 2010. According to Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel, this saw resort executives pondering “when to expand Wizarding World and how to keep business balanced between Islands and Universal Studios Florida”. In April 2011, Brady MacDonald of the Los Angeles Times speculated that an expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter would see attractions such as Diagon Alley and a Gringotts-themed dark ride replace Islands of Adventure’s Lost Continent themed area.
On December 6, 2011, Universal Parks & Resorts announced that they would be expanding The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The expansion was described as “significant” by officials however, no further details were released at the time. The announcement came just four days after Universal Studios Florida announced that they would be closing their Jaws ride on January 2, 2012. On January 25, 2012, the Los Angeles Times stated that Universal Studios Florida’s Jaws ride would be the site of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion. The aforementioned attractions would be complemented by a replica of the Hogwarts Express to transit guests between the two parks.
Tips For The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
Ready to start planning your next Universal Orlando vacation? Listen to the latest podcast episode on Apple or on your non-Apple device now!
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Popeye And Blutos Bilge
A classic wet ride, the rafting ride puts a group of people in a large circular spinning raft and tosses them up and down a river with lots of water obstacles waiting to soak them.
Who loves it?Everyone on a hot day. No one on a cold day. If you liked to get soaked, youll love it.
Height requirements? Minimum height is 42 but anyone under 48 will need to have a supervising companion.
Visit The Gringotts Money Exchange
Stop into the Gringotts Money Exchange when you are in Diagon Alley. There you will be able to chat with the goblin banker at the counter and exchange your regular muggle currency for authentic Gringotts banknotes.
They are available in denominations of $10 and $20, come in a Gringotts Bank sleeve, and can be either used to make in-park purchases at stores and restaurants or kept as a souvenir.
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If You Want To See A Show Get There Early
It’s probably not the main reason you’ve come to the Wizarding World, but its street shows are a nice diversion while you toss back a butterbeer. But they’re almost always crowded, so keep an eye on the showtimes posted throughout the park and find a spot early.
The Triwizard Spirit Rally is ripped right from the frames of The Goblet of Fire and it’s performed several times throughout the day, making it easy to catch. Plan to close your day in Hogsmeade with the Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts in Islands of Adventure, an incredibly photogenic experience.
My personal favorite, however, is the Tales of Beedle the Bard. Puppeteers perform “The Tale of the Three Brothers” and “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” the former bearing some resemblance to the Deathly Hallows movie version. It’s a welcome change of pace inside a park that’s generally focused on King Kong-sized experiences.
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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist.
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Top Things To Do At Hogsmeade
- Ride the Hogwarts Express# between both lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Taste Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice: Head to the Three Broomsticks and the Hog’s Head pub to sample some iconic wizarding food and drinks!
- Send a letter from the Owl Post and get it stamped with the Hogsmeade postmark!
- Stock up on Hogwarts school supplies and magic sweets at the shops in Hogsmeade village
- See a wand choose its wizard at Ollivanders wand shop
Insider Tip
If youre planning on visiting both parks, its a good idea to ride the Hogwarts Express as its the best way to stay immersed in the magic as you travel between King’s Cross Station in Universal Studios Florida and Hogsmeade Station in Universals Islands of Adventure.
And as the sun begins to set, its recommended you make your way back to Hogsmeade to watch The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle.
Dont forget the train journeys are different depending which way youre travelling, so make sure you also take the train both ways!
Insider Tip: Get Early Park Admission!
If youre staying at a Universal Orlando hotel youll get the added bonus of EARLY PARK ADMISSION* to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Universals Volcano Bay.
Breeze into the Parks before regular guests every morning and enjoy more ride time, more free time and more family time every day of your holiday!
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Harry Potter Rides Universal Orlando 2022 Ranked
In this next section, we will be ranking Harry Potter rides at Universal. When we typically talk about the best rides in Universal, we rank them by assessing the storyline/theme, queue and overall experience that guests have while enjoying these attractions. So without further delay, here are the best Universal Studios Harry Potter Rides ranked!
A New Ride Design Rises
As has often been suggested by fans of the series, it does appear that a different ride system was considered after the trackless idea was scrapped. This one would instead feature an elevator.
Just like the lifts of the British Ministry in the stories, the idea would allow the ride vehicles to move in multiple directions.
Suspended dark ride system patent by Universal, Image: U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
This concept was supposedly first designed to utilize a suspended ride system, which Universal has patented. We spoke about this ride possibly using a suspended ride system in a previous story, but mistakenly speculated it could be used for a flying car. Instead, it appears to have been designed for a new type of elevator ride.
Rather than a thrilling drop ride, like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, this patented ride system instead would carry riders up and down between two different levels at much less thrilling speeds.
Patent describes switching between two floors, but dressed as different locations each time
The point of the system is that while the riders are experiencing a scene on one level, the other levels scenery could be changing. That way, the car could travel up and down, back and forth, multiple times, but appear to arrive at a completely different floor of the building at each stop, even though its really only the same two physical locations.
Patent describes how multiple ride paths could be duplicated to increase rider capacity
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What Are The 3 Harry Potter Rides At Universal Islands Of Adventure
Another common question we receive is, what are the 3 Harry Potter rides at Universal Islands of Adventure? The 3 Islands of Adventure Harry Potter rides are Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Flight of the Hippogriff, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Its also important to note that Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida share a ride in the Hogwarts Express.
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How Scary Is Escape From Gringotts
On a thrill scale of 0 to 10 , Gringotts rates at a 4, mostly for its mild coaster thrills, but also for its dark themes, loud noises, and special effects. For comparison, Pirates of the Caribbean gets a 2, and Revenge of the Mummy scores a 6.5 on the same scale. For Universals Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions, the fairly mild Flight of the Hippogriff rates 3.25 on the thrill-o-meter, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey merits a 5.5, and the more thrilling coaster, Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Coaster clocks in at 6.5.
Could you handle Gringotts? Only you could answer that. But if you are really freaked out, it should help you to know that the scary parts are over quickly. Plus, the ride is so well done, you’ll likely find that it’s worth toughing it out so that you could experience the five-star attraction. Perhaps the folks at Eternelles Elixir of Refreshment could whip you up a special potion to help calm your fears.
By the way, for the first few years it was open, Escape From Gringotts was not included on Universal’s Express program. Everybody had to wait in the standby line . Now, however, guests who have Universal Express can skip the lines of both Gringotts and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. You can learn more about how to bypass the lines at Universal Orlando as well as how to use the resorts Virtual Line program in our handy-dandy article.
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Filchs Emporium Of Confiscated Goods
Take a peek inside this captivating grotto and youll see all kinds of weird and wonderful confiscated items from the world of wizards!
Youll also find movie prop replicas including Death Eater masks, character walking sticks and themed chess sets, as well as Hogwarts and Quidditch clothing and more.
Top Tip
This is also where you can purchase a photo of your experience on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Men In Black: Alien Attack
This shooting dark ride takes you on a hunt for aliens. See how many points you can wrack up as you protect our planet against an infestation of aliens in New York.
Who loves it? Tweens, teens and those who love the Men in Black movies. Plus, anyone who just likes a good ol fashioned shooting game with some motion simulation. Without too scary of aliens, this ride is pretty family friendly.
Height Requirements? Minimum height is 42 but anyone under 48 will need to have a supervising companion.
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Complete Guide To Planning A Trip To Harry Potter Universal Orlando
Complete Guide to Planning a Trip to Harry Potter Universal Orlando
Complete Guide to Planning a Trip to Harry Potter Universal Orlando
This page is your complete guide to planning a trip to Harry Potter World in 2022! It is also the perfect starting point for any muggle getting ready for their Universal Orlando trip! Youll find that there is so much to do in Universal Orlando at Harry Potter World! With incredible restaurants, shops and attractions that bring you right into the Harry Potter Universe, it truly feels like youre in another world.
So, what is the best way to see Harry Potter at Universal Orlando? Thats exactly what we are about to break down for you. Well also fill you in on how to make the most of your time with Universal Early Park Admission.
So if youre planning a trip to Universal Studios Harry Potter World read on!
SPECIAL NOTE:If you need help picking the best time to visit Universal Orlando for your next vacation be sure to check out our Universal crowd calendar!
The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter Vacation
In a common misconception that has floated around since opening day, many guests believe that both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are their own theme parks, a misunderstanding probably born from the fact that, in Universals initial marketing push back in 2010, it referred to Hogsmeade as a theme park within a theme park. Its since dropped that language, thankfully enough, and you do not need to buy an additional ticket to visit the Wizarding Worlds. However, if you wish to ride the Hogwarts Express between the two lands, you will need to purchase a park-to-park ticket. Fortuitously enough, Universal has installed ticket booths at the entrances to each station, where guests can upgrade their tickets if they happened to overlooked this caveat.
For our very best vacation planning tips, check out the wealth of informational pages in our Insiders Guide to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including how to beat the crowds, the full rundown on early park admission, and where to find the best food and souvenirs on offer and more!
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