3 favorite food options, 3 favorite rides, and 3 favorite parts of our hotel stay on our trip to Harry Potter World (aka Universal Studios Orlando).
Top 3’s of Harry Potter World
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This past week my little guy Rocco turned 10 on the 10th. Golden Birthday y’all! Golden Birthday’s are a big deal to this Mama.
So for the best birthday ever a Harry Potter World trip was a must!!!
You see Rocco read the entire Harry Potter series last year and has been more than a little bit obsessed ever since.
And by “a bit obsessed”, I mean entirely obsessed. You see those glasses? They’re not real. Those glasses are Harry Potter glasses from Amazon.
Rocco wears them everywhere he goes. Ha!
You like my tattoo? I got that bit of awesome off Amazon too. Hahaha!!!
Let’s start with Rides
I’m fairly certain that Harry Potter World is the number one reason people got to Universal Studios. Therefore, the lines are always long. However, if you show up right when the park opens and go straight to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, the wait’s really aren’t bad at all.
- My very favorite ride was hands-down Flight of the Hippogriff. It is only an 18 second ride (yes, I counted) and those 18 seconds are worth the long wait times in my opinion. An added bonus is that riders only have to be 36″ tall so my littlest little was even able to ride, and that adrenaline junkie of a baby LOVED Flight of the Hippogriff!
- Rocco’s favorite ride in the park was the Gringott’s Bank ride. He rode it 5 times and begged to go more. The line for Gringott’s is ALWAYS long. However, they have a “single riders” line that moves fast. Very fast. So if you don’t mind your group getting split up; I highly suggest the single riders line.
- My seven year old LOVED the Hogwart’s express. It runs from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley and back again. The line from Hogsmeade is never bad, however the one from Diagon Alley is a long one. That being said, you’ll want to ride the train both directions, as it is a different experience each way.
In-park Food Options
Okay y’all I’m just gonna come out and say it and I’m sorry if this hurts your heart. The food inside the three broomsticks and the Hog’s Head was terrible!!! Go visit those places for the atmosphere and a drink perhaps, but don’t eat there! EEEEK! (***note!!! It could’ve just been what we ordered or the location. I have been informed that the food at the 3 broomsticks Hollywood location was simply delightful!)
- Butterbeer. Obviously you need to try the Butterbeer. From what I’ve heard, the hot version is by far the best. Sadly, because we were there in the dead of the summer, we were not given that option.
We did however try both the regular butterbeer and the frozen butterbeer. Frozen was significantly better. It tasted very similar to a cream soda slush with the most amazing butterscotch flavored cream on top.
(Don’t worry, I have a copycat version coming to the blog soon!) - Soft served Ice Cream at Florean Fortescue’s in Diagon Alley. Oh heavens y’all! This ice cream was SOOO good! We tried 4 different flavors and they were all incredible. My favorite however, was the orange marmalade flavor. Knocked my socks right off!
- Mythos. Mythos is a restaurant in the Lost Continent area of Universal Studios, very close to Hogsmeade. We ate lunch there and the food was incredible! Don’t miss it you guys, the atmosphere is great and every single dish we ordered was delightful.
Out of park food options
We ate in park during the day. However for dinner we often stopped places on our way back to the hotel.
- My number one food suggestion off-park is Wolfgang Puck Express. The food was very reasonably priced and absolutely delicious. It wasn’t heavy feeling, but was filling.
We got a barbecue chicken pizza and an Asian salad that I couldn’t get enough of! - Blaze pizza. Obviously i like pizza, It’s something my kids will actually eat and I enjoy as well. Blaze is nice because you pick your own toppings and it tastes good; all at a great price.
- Freddy’s. Ha! I know this is a national chain and while on vacation I usually try to eat at places I can find only in that area. However, I have to tell you what a relief Freddy’s was. Sometimes a girl just needs a burger she knows will taste delicious and comes from a clean environment.
Where to stay
When you are working on a limited budget, sometimes staying on-park just isn’t feasible.
We booked our hotel and Harry Potter World park tickets through Costco travel and I couldn’t be happier.
The hotel we stayed at was the Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas.
The kids loved this resort!!! We chose to stay home from the Harry Potter World park for a day just so we would have enough time to enjoy the amenities.
Top 3 Reasons to Stay at that Resort
First off, let me just tell you I am not being paid or compensated in any way for this review. I just thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Sheraton Vistana.
- I’ll start with my favorite part of the resort: our room! So much space! It’s more of a suite than a room. We had a full kitchen, a bar, a kitchen table, a sitting area, a bath and a shower, and even patio space!
It felt and smelled clean. The housekeepers kept it that way too, including doing our dirty dishes!
The kids were able to eat their favorite breakfasts in the comfort of our hotel room which was nice for me as I could get ready for the day as they ate.
2. The pool! This probably should’ve been listed first. My children would live at that pool if the could. Haha!
There were actually two pools on site that we visited, and both were loved entirely. One we visited for night swimming (and dance-off’s in the water fountain of course) after walking around the hot Harry Potter World theme park all day.
The other had this great ship and we played there all day.
3. And last but far from least, and this may seem silly, however it was a favorite part of every day we were there: the giant bathtub with jets in the room bath!!!
Jet’s really help make the best bubbles!
Okay y’all that’s my favorite’s from our Harry Potter World trip. You should visit too someday. If you’ve already gone, leave me a message and tell me your favorite’s so that all who visit this page can have access to that fount of knowledge as well!!!
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