I have been a fan of Harry Potter since I was eleven. I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter in the form of a hardback version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and for the next 10 years I clung to every page and watched every minute as soon as the books and movies were released. I identified most with Hermione Granger, my nose glued to the binding of every book I picked up. I was at every midnight release. The lines wound their way through Borders (there’s a throwback!) with Harry Potter trivia being shouted from every corner and behind every bookshelf. I finished each book by the next morning, having plugged my ears while running back to the car for fear of spoilers.
I got Sohrab into it – he watched all of the movies in rapid succession (without me! *shakes fist*) over the course of two days; the ultimate binge session. He appreciated how the series grew up with the characters, and his favorite is Half-Blood Prince. We quickly realized that he is the Slytherin to my Gryffindor, and I had a new Harry Potter buddy. That’s why, when we took a 2 week trip to Florida (read: Walt Disney World) for our honeymoon, we made sure to make a 2-day pit stop at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was absolutely incredible – of course, my favorite part was Diagon Alley – and this refueled my excitement to have a WWoHP at Universal Studios in Hollywood.
It just so happens that opening day was the week of our 6-month wedding anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than to harken back to our honeymoon? Annual passes to Universal were Sohrab’s gift to me for the occasion (he’s a romantic, that one!), so we kicked off the second half of our first year in Hogwarts style. Everything about the day was perfect – the weather, the butterbeer, the company. We geeked out from dawn to dusk, spending the day in the realm of our perfect fantasy.
Since Sohrab isn’t a fan of rollercoasters, we skipped Flight of the Hippogriff, but with a little magic (telling our honeymoon story, how we as a Gryffindor and a Slytherin are married, and that we were there to celebrate our 6-month anniversary) we managed to get the password to skip the line for Forbidden Journey. I would tell you what it was, but it changes every day (shoot!). We were able to explore the castle and walk right onto the ride – and I’ve lamented since our trip to Orlando that the castle is overtaken by the line for the ride – but I’ll tell you a little secret. If you’re not interested in riding, you can request a pass that allows you to just cruise on through without the 405-like traffic caused by the line! All exploration – no frustration. As for what you will discover while you weave through the halls, the layout of the line and the ride itself are identical to the one in Orlando, but it seems that we got the shoddy version of the 3D. Let’s just say we weren’t feeling too hot afterwards…
Once we found our feet again after a small bout of dizziness that we shook off inside Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, we continued to explore Hogsmeade. Had a butterbeer at the Hog’s Head (in the rain!), waited in line to get into Dervish and Banges, and chose to forgo Honeydukes considering the ridiculous wait. After all, we’d be able to get Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans another day since we had our annual passes! Even so, we couldn’t miss out on the performances put on by the ladies of Beauxbatons and the gentlemen of Durmstrang!
But enough talking for now. Here are some photos from the day!
Perhaps the best way to end the day after a quick skip to Citywalk to have dinner was returning to Hogsmeade after dark. Everything was so beautiful – especially the castle – so we spent the last moments before closing standing by its grand entrance, basking in the atmosphere surrounding us. That may be why we were approached by a small team toting a camera and a mic, asking straight out if we wanted to be on the news. The answer? Um…. of course!
