The day before our trip, I get a notification saying our flight would be delayed about 3 hours. I was pretty bummed as our flight was fairly early and going to give us time to go to the beach. Then I get a call at midnight saying it's further delayed. Then the next day, while we're playing at the park with Wesley I get another notification saying it's been even more delayed. I was so frustrated (we had booked with Allegiant btw). We finally get to the airport and have checked in, gone through security with Wesley and stroller in tow and are waiting to board the plane. What happens? An announcement comes on telling us our flight as been delayed until the next day at 11 am or so. I start crying. I was supposed to be in HP world by like 9 the next morning and our flight wouldn't have even left at that point. We had to leave immediately and thankfully got reimbursed for the flight and got two $100 vouchers but I was bummed. But we figured out that I could get on the same flight as my mom and Zoe for the next morning and just go on the trip without Layton and Wesley and have it be about the same price. I was so sad to not have Layton and Wesley join me, but it ended up all being okay. Layton and Wesley got some awesome quality time together and I got an awesome unexpected mini trip with my mom and sister.
Our flight left super early the next morning and we landed in Long Beach, hurried to get the rental car and zipped straight to Universal Studios. Have you ever been to Universal Studios? It's a weird place I have to say and holy cow takes forever from the parking lot to actually get to the park and then to actually get to HP world, it was a trek but of course 1,000% completely worth it. My sister and I are way bigger fans than my mom so we are freaking out getting so stoked to see everything. We finally get to the part of the park with HP world and run under the beautiful archway into the most magical place on earth (disclaimer, this is my own personal opinion about magical places, I'm sure there are other, more magical, such as Disneyland, or Iceland, or The Amazon, but for my purposes, I'm going to claim it as the most magical place on Earth). We are in Hogsmeade. The pitched roofs are all covered in glittering snow, the chimneys rise so high, they are literally bending over, the blissful sounds of the Harry Potter soundtrack are all around me, moss covered buildings with incredible window displays are everywhere I turn: I am in HEAVEN. The ground is cobblestone and even the bathroom has Moaning Myrtle whining at you. We stop and look through some windows but are headed straight to the gigantic Hogwarts Castle that houses the ride Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey. You guys, I don't think I'll be able to go into every detail because really, that would fill up like an entire journal, but I will settle for telling you the main points.
Walking through the castle was one of the best parts of the whole experience. It truly feels like you are inside the Hogwarts castle. The beginning you walk through somewhat of a tunnel and see the Mirror of Erised, then you come upon the greenhouses that have the murky windows, and strange potted plants hanging from the ceiling. Walking through the castle of course there are trinkets and displays everywhere you can see. Moving and talking portraits, you walk through the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, you see the House Points in gigantic tubes, you walk through Dumbledore's office, it is all so incredible.
Now for the ride. I am not very keen on rollercoasters, they make me sick, so I was pretty nervous about this one as I had read it was somewhat scary and intense. But it was the COOLEST ride I have ever been on. I don't know that I can really explain it, so I'm just going to insert a link for you to read about that explains it. That does a fairly good job, but you can google the ride and see what other's have said. At some points you are nearly upside down and during the 3-D segments, you literally feel like you are flying. What's crazy is that I read your velocity doesn't change! It's purely the camera and the 3-D picture that make your stomach do flips. I was very impressed. It did get a bit scary when the Dementors swoop in to attack but overall, I just enjoyed the good fun and the incredible detail of it all.
After the first round on that ride though, I definitely felt nauseous and needed something to help calm me. We walked around and looked through every shop again and again and admired all the cool window displays. There was such incredible detail around EVERYTHING, it made it just so worth it. The only place to eat a full meal within HP world is at the Three Broomsticks. It looks EXACTLY like the movie bar/pub! I was in awe of how identical they looked. I got the chopped chicken salad because I really needed something refreshing and cool and it was very very good, but way too big. I could have shared with someone for sure. My mom and sister got the fish and chips and they also said it was very good.
Now, for one of the best parts: Butterbeer. I had pretty high expectations as I had read how incredible it was. I got frozen (btw it's $7 a pop for the frozen!) and the first taste was good, but not the amazing confection that I was expecting, but the longer I sipped and slurped it, the more in love I fell with it and by the end, I wanted another. It was so incredibly yummy and delicious and just everything. I read you can buy the spiked butterbeer from the Hog's Head pub which is attached to the Three Broomsticks but I don't drink so I got it virgin which is what most people do.
We brought snacks in with us to tide us over so we only bought our lunch and the butterbeer. At the end right before we left, my sister and I got the regular (not frozen) kind to share (and this one is only $4 a pop I believe) and it was also incredible. I personally preferred the frozen, while my mom and sister preferred the regular. They were both delicious.
Altogether, we spent about 7 hrs just in HP world. We didn't bother with any of the rest of Universal Studios because really weren't there for that. And those 7 hours were spent combing every inch of every store, looking at window displays again and again, looking at literally every wand in Ollivanders, and just enjoying the pure merriment and bliss that is HP World. It really isn't that big of a place, but it was nice to have so much time so we could take in every detail.
We rode the other ride there, Flight of the Hippogriff, but that one is a very short coaster that is not worth a long line at all. We only had to wait about 15-20 minutes. What is worth it is seeing Hagrid's hut, Sirius' bike and Buckbeak while waiting in line.
We rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey for a second time (my mom couldn't handle it though, the first time was enough but they do let people walk through the castle and then not ride the ride of course. And, if you have small children or kids who can't ride the ride but two or more adults want to ride the ride, you can do this thing called bag or child swap where you all wait in line, then whoever is going first goes on the ride while the other adult waits with the kid(s) and then when the first adult is done, the second one can ride without having to wait in line again.) My mom walked through the castle with us and then she held our bags for us as we rode the ride and then she was right there when we got off. If you don't have someone to hold your bags, you have to put them in a safe when you first walk into the castle (it's free for like 2 hrs or something).
I honestly wanted to walk through the castle one more time (but not ride the ride, the second time was a doozy and I felt very sick after, but it was so #worthit) just because I felt like the second time there was no line whatsoever so we just blazed through the castle and I didn't really have a chance to look at everything. But we decided to just call it a day and I feel good about what I was able to see.
Overall, it was incredible. One of the best days of my life (others include getting married and having a baby), and I can't wait to go back! Rumor has it that they will expand to include a Diagon Alley sometime within the next 5 years and once that's done, you can be sure I'll be back.
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